Letter to Congregation September 5th, 2023
Vaccine Season Greetings from the medical committee,
It has been brought to our attention that in the last few weeks, a number of synagogue attendees have come down with the Covid 19 Virus. This is not surprising as numbers have picked up across the nation, and most area hospitals have seen increases in the number of Covid 19 cases. As we have learned over the past two years, gathering in groups, especially in the setting of singing, is a high-risk situation for transmission. Although for the majority of individuals Covid 19 does not have a serious outcome, there are individuals who can be at significant risk if they contract the Covid 19 virus. Because of this we are making the following recommendations:
We are requesting that if you are ill, you avoid attending synagogue functions and that you follow the guidelines shown on the websites below.
If you go to website A and scroll down you will find a computerized program that allows you to fill in the blanks and it will recommend when and how to follow isolation and quarantine guidelines.
If you go to website B you will be provided with a full recommendation on age-appropriate vaccinations and crowd and masking guidelines.
California's full list of guidelines and recommendations can be found at:
As a reminder, even a negative test does not guarantee zero risk for transmitting Covid, as patients recently exposed with minor symptoms may not be testing positive but may still be able to transmit the virus. Therefore, if you have recently been exposed to a person with covid and have minor symptoms please consider wearing a mask in public and as always, if you consider yourself to be at high risk for more serious outcomes, we continue to encourage you to wear a mask.
We wish you Shana Tovah - a safe, healthy, and happy New Year!
Ben Dishman and Seth Krosner
Co-chairs of the Medical Committee