Coronavirus Task Force Update

June 13, 2021

COVID-19 cases in Alameda County have been increasing over the past four weeks, and we have now breached the bottom of Red – Substantial tier of the state’s virus tier system, with cases concentrated in a few zip codes in east and west Oakland. Over the same period, cases in high-vaccination zip codes have trended downward.

We continue to follow public health guidance from the CDC, the State of California, Alameda County, and the City of Berkeley. The Coronavirus Task Force of volunteers and staff with health and facilities expertise are working within the public health guidelines for our reopening plan.

Some important things to know:

  • We recommend getting vaccinated. This is for your safety in general and for our return to church.
  • First Pres has its own safety standards. We currently maintain standard safe practices including a campus log, health screen, masks, distancing, sanitizing, etc. Given the increase in the virus case rate, these safety practices are important. We monitor public health key indicators to help us move forward (or pull back, if necessary).
  • While our campus is still closed to the public, we’re worshiping in person, and increasing capacity for in-person events. We started small and have scaled up capacity. We are working to reopen based on our successes and other readiness measures approved by Session. Since closing campus in March 2020, we’ve expanded beyond the opening of Cornerstone Children’s Center in June 2020, Street Meal “to-go” meals and services, Berkeley Christian Counselors’ telehealth and limited in-person services, and limited ministry events. Campus use includes:
    • staff on campus for summer core hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
    • in-person worship for limited numbers
    • in-person ministry events
    • in-person memorial services
  • We are worshiping on Sundays at 10 am—in person with simultaneous livestreaming. Make a reservation to attend in-person worship on our closed campus. We require standard safe practices for masks and recommend distancing. We invite you to sign up to serve on the Sunday Hospitality team.

We are excited about our work! Thank you for your patience, and please pray for our efforts. Stand by for more information. If you have questions, email the Coronavirus Task Force via [email protected].