ACC News

Compilation of Resources including Safety-Security, COVID-19 Worship and Singing Resources; SBA information; and other COVID relief information

December 20, 2021

We are compiling a page of links that have been cultivated with various resources regarding safety and security, worship and singing. These resources are in no way endorsements. Links have been vetted only in terms of being posted from reliable sources such as government agencies, major news organizations, and medical journals. While sources are vetted to the best of our ability, the articles are not specifically or independently fact checked. We do our best to identify if something is an Op-Ed, research paper, newspaper article, government guidelines, etc. You are welcome to share and use these resources and share the link(s). Please note hat research is ongoing. You may need to check back frequently for additional information.

[collapse]

Safety and Security

DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Resources

The Power of Hello Guide for Houses of Worship

SCN BeAware: An Introduction to Situational Awareness Participant Guide

Nonprofit Security Grant Program

Secure Community Network

Anti-Defamation League

[/collapse]

Updates as we approach 2022

Dr. Joseph Allen: Washington Post. Opinion: Our playbook to fight covid-19 is outdated. Here are 10 updates for 2022.

[collapse]

Information on Delta Variant

There are lots of questions about Delta and how and why it's more of a problem. This is a helpful article from National Geographic.

CDC: What we know about Delta Variant and updated guidance

CDC internal slide deck re:communication on Delta Variant

[/collapse]

[collapse]

URJ-ACC video resources

Video: URJ Partner Session: COVID 19 Vaccinations Understanding the Legal Concerns and Best Practices for Community Outreach: Many of us are grappling with difficult questions as we begin to re-open our buildings. Are we allowed to ask people if they are vaccinated? Can we require vaccinations? And what is the best way to speak to members of our staff and communities who are not getting vaccinated? This webinar will provide guidance about how to best communicate about vaccinations and how to navigate critical legal issues. Speakers: Michael Gan, Partner, Peer, Gan & Gisler LLP and Jody Gan, Professor, Department of Health Studies at American University and President-Elect of the Maryland Public Health Association

Video: Singing in the Time of COVID
While guidance is ever-changing, we are sharing information on the latest guidance for gatherings. We will review what we know now and how to take the best practices of infectious disease control and safety measures and put it into practice so we can once again gather and sing together safely. Our presenters will help you distill information into manageable pieces, and share ways to take the learning back to your teams to have your own conversations based on the newest findings.  Open to clergy, staff and lay leaders.

Cantor Rebecca Moses, Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, South Orange, NJ and member of the Executive Board of the ACC.
Sagir Muhammad, MD, MPH, CIC, CPHQ, The New England Infection Control Consulting LLC and member of APIC. https://www.linkedin.com/in/neicconsultingllc/
Rachel Roth, Chief Operating Officer, American Conference of Cantors

URJ Document: Updated "Singing in the Time of COVID-19"

[/collapse]

August 31, 2021: Paper on the effectiveness of masks, layering masks

[collapse]

A new paper on why plexiglass is not effective in stopping aerosols.

Dr. Linsay Marr:

New NIOSH study plexiglass of worker protection finds 70+% reduction in exposure to aerosols 0.35-3 μm from simulated coughs. medrxiv.org/content/10.110… ***BUT*** barriers will increase exposure to others nearby and may impede proper ventilation, creating hotspots.

Masks are better because they actually remove the aerosols. Plexiglass barriers just divert them. Barriers do block large droplets, but at typical interaction distances, these are much less important.

Laboratory Study of Physical Barrier Efficiency for Worker Protection against SARS-CoV-2 while Standing or Sitting

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.26.21261146v1
[/collapse]

Updated CDC Events and Gathering Guidelines. February 18, 2021.

Link to the Small Business Association website for the 2nd round of PPP loans.

Information for emergency rental assistance available to tenants and landlords and the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) “Rental Assistance Finder” tool. The White House Office of Public Engagement is trying to make sure as many people as possible know that rental relief is available. The tool is now live at: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/renthelp Click for the "tool kit." Click for a "one-pager" of information.

Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: What We Know. Oxford Academic Journal. Jonathan M Samet, MD, MS, Kimberly Prather, PhD, Georges Benjamin, MD, Seema Lakdawala, PhD, John-Martin Lowe, PhD, Arthur Reingold, MD, John Volckens, PhD, Linsey Marr, PhD Clinical Infectious Diseases, ciab039, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab039 

Information from the TH Chang School of Public Health at Harvard University and Dr. Joseph Allen. Discussion and slides from October 2020. Reposted as Delta Variant information is being released  

  1. FAQs from Dr. Allen's presentation
  2. Slide deck from presentation 
  3. Healthy Buildings document

New studies on aerosoles from American Choral Directors Association

WHO recommends new air circulation/ventilation guidelines. October 30, 2020

HUC ANNOUNCES PUBLICATION OF SCRIPTIONS: JEWISH THOUGHTS AND RESPONSES TO COVID-19

CDC expands definition of who is a ‘close contact’ of an individual with covid-19 - The Washington Post, October 21, 2020 

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

More than 40 coronavirus cases linked to Maine church that held fellowship rally, NBC News. October 20, 2020

Updated CDC Guidelines on how Covid-19 spreads as of October 5, 2020

A growing body of evidence indicates that airborne transmission is the main way people are becoming infected with the novel coronavirus. Given that understanding, how should we change our behavior to reduce our risk of infection? William Brangham talks to Virginia Tech’s Dr. Linsey Marr about aerosols vs. droplets, ventilation and more.

Information on the aerosole spread of COVID-19 

The White House coronavirus outbreak shows that testing alone is not enough, Dr. Joseph Allen, Washington Post

Link to 2-day seminar from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Health on the Airborne Transmission of Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Download the agenda to find the individual workshops you wish to watch.

Cross Movement Reopening Document attachment is available. With thanks Steven Weiss who represented the ACC on the task force.

Safer Singing During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: What We Know and What We Don't, Journal of Voice, July 1, 2020

Link to discussion with Dr. Ed Septimus on singing and mitigating risks

Emory University Information on Singing During COVID-19

Nearly 100 people in Ohio got sick after one man infected with the coronavirus attended a church service, Business Insider, August 6, 2020

Safer Singing During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: What We Know and What We Don't, Jourbal of Voice, July 2, 2020

Schools for Health: Risk Reduction Strategies for Reopening Schools, Harvard School of Public Health. June 2020 

Airborne Coronavirus: What You Should Do Now, New York Times, July 6, 2020  

The Coronavirus Can Be Airborne Indoors, W.H.O. Says, New YorK Times, July 10, 2020

Is it safe to strike up the band in a time of coronavirus? Science Magazine, July 17,2020 

HUC-JIR Fieldwork Documents for reference

Reopening New York: Guidelines for Religious and Funeral Services (State of New York)

COVID-19 Guidance for Places of Worship and Providers of Religious Services (State of Illinois)

New Jersey Governor issues guidelines for reopening state (NBC News Philadelphia)

State of New Jersey Guidelines

COVID-19 Industry Guidance for Places of Worship and Providers of Religious Services and Cultural Ceremonies (State of California) on May 25, 2020

American Choral Directors Association COVID-19 Response Committee Report from June 15, 2020

CDC Weekly Report (MMWR) Section High COVID-19 Attack Rate Among Attendees at Events at a Church — Arkansas, March 2020 on May 22, 2020

Is Singing in a Choir Safe During COVID-19? A Voice Expert Explains the Risk from the Massachusettes Eye and Ear Communications on Thursday, May 21, 2020

Op-Ed in Washington Post: We cannot keep ignoring the possibility of airborne transmission. Here’s how to address it. By Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings program at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on May 26, 2020 at 12:55 p.m. CDT

Academic Paper (not yet peer reviewed): Re-thinking the Potential for Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by Joseph G. Allen and Linsey C. Marr

Navigating the Pandemic: V’Chai BaHem, “And you shall live by them” by the Synagogue Council of Massachusettes Issues in Light of COVID-19 on May 26, 2020

CDC Paper: High SARS-CoV-2 Attack Rate Following Exposure at a Choir Practice — Skagit County, Washington, March 2020

Scientists to choirs: Group singing can spread the coronavirus, despite what CDC may say--LA Times, June 1, 2020

When 511 Epidemiologists Expect to Fly, Hug and Do 18 Other Everyday Activities Again--New York Times, June 8, 2020

COVID-19: Straight Answers from Top Epidemiologist Who Predicted the Pandemic by Dan Buettner, Blue Zones Founder

When Will It Be Safe to Sing Together Again? New York Times. June 9, 2020  

Paging Dr. Hamblin: When Will It Be Safe to Sing Together?
Making music has benefits beyond tradition. In a pandemic, though, it’s also riskier than staying silent., The Atlantic, June 10, 2020

NATS presents A Conversation: What Do Science and Data Say About the Near Term Future of Singing

US Department of Health and Human Services chart with links to state opening guidelines.

CDC Community and Faith-Based Organizations: Plan, Prepare, and Respond

Church Tied to Oregon's Largest Coronavirus Outbreak. AP. June 16, 2020

Posnack JCC in Davie shuts down preschool camp after second staff member tests positive for COVID-19. ABC News Channel 10 Miami. June 17, 2020