REOPENING PARISHES IN OHIO TOO SOON
THE PROBLEM
by Jack Rakosky, PhD
Why should parishes not reopen if most other businesses are opening? Because many if not most of those who attend are the elderly. The State of Ohio recommends that the elderly and other vulnerable populations remain at home. These are the populations that the State of Ohio will be tracking through an expanded network of public health personnel. The elderly who come down with the virus will be asked about their contacts in the previous week. If many of these report they went to church, parishes are likely to be labeled as "hot spots" and the church will get a bad reputation for not protecting its elderly.
During my professional life as Director of Planning, Research and Evaluation, I oversaw the data collection and analysis systems of county mental health systems, first for Toledo and then Lake County. With an interdisciplinary doctorate in psychology and sociology I knew a lot of care had to be put into collecting data, and analyzing it. Therefore I can easily spot where new data collection systems are going to experience problems in their interpretation. After retirement I earned a master's degree in spirituality from Notre Dame, and shifted my interests to data on religion and spirituality.
SUMMARY OF NEW RULES WHICH TOOK EFFECT ON MAY 1ST
DIRECTOR'S STAY SAFE OHIO ORDER
These orders set forth the minimum acts that must be taken; if people do more than the minimum it will benefit everybody. Nothing in this order prohibits the gathering of members of a household, family or residence. Does not apply to weddings and funerals but does apply to wedding receptions. Does not apply to religious facilities, and religious gatherings. (The original orders never did)
STAY AT HOME REMAINS IN EFFECT.
All persons may leave their homes only to participate in activities, businesses or operations permitted by this order.
Elderly people, and those with vulnerable medical conditions are urged to remain at home unless necessary for medical reasons.
All businesses and operations are permitted to reopen so long as workplace safety standards are observed Safe practices include social distancing, hand washing, face masks where possible and appropriate, and heighten workplace cleaning.
SCHEDULE OF BUSINESS REOPENINGS
MANUFACTURING DISTRIBUTION AND CONSTRUCTION: permitted to reopen on May 4
GENERAL OFFICE permitted to reopen May 4 but strongly encouraged to work from home using teleconferencing, etc.
RETAIL permitted to reopen on May 12 however can begin curbside pickup, delivery and appointment only (limit of 10 persons at a time) on May 1
PERSONAL CARE SERVICES: Personal care services such as hair salons, barbershops, day spas, nail salons, and tanning facilities may reopen on May 15 under guidelines developed jointly by their professionals and Ohio Health Department
RESTAURANTS AND BARS will be permitted to reopen as follows: Outdoor dining: May 15 Dine-in service: May 21 Again all with guidelines developed jointly by their professional and Ohio Health Department
CLOSED BUSINESS: Schools, Adult Day Care/Support, Child Care/Support, Entertainment, Recreation, Gymnasiums,
COVID 19 TESTING:
The state is ramping up testing by developing a lot of the materials here in Ohio
PRIORITY 1 Hospitalized persons and medical personnel who present symptoms
PRIORITY 2 Residents of long term facilities, first responders, persons over age 65 and those with vulnerable medical conditions who present symptoms Residents and staff of long term care facilities even if they do not have symptoms.
PRIORITY 3. Those with or without symptoms who are receiving out- patient surgery/ procedures
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN ELDERLY PERSON TESTS POSITIVE?
The state is also ramping up monitoring, hiring and training thousands more public health workers
1. Monitor and stay at home for 14 days.
2 Public health workers obtain a list of contacts in previous days, and request those contacts to stay at home and monitor themselves.
3. Public health looks to identify hot spots that are promoting virus spread
MY HYPOTHESIS OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS
1. In May as business reopen there will be more transmission of the virus especially as younger people with the virus who are not symptomatic or mildly symptomatic transmit it to more and more people.
If the Elderly stay at home and are not visited at home they will be less likely to get it. However some will not stay a home or will be visited and therefore will begin to present with symptoms in late May and early June, and will then be picked up by the Public Health workers monitoring system
2. If Catholic churches reopen in June, some of the elderly will begin to attend Mass. As more and more elderly leave home during the summer for various reasons, more and more will develop symptoms, and come into the Public Health monitoring system.
Many of those developing symptoms will include Mass going among their prior contacts. More and more suspicion will develop that Mass going is a cause of virus transmission whereas it may just be a correlate of virus transmission. Catholic parishes may become stigmatized as “hot spots” like nursing homes and congregate living facilities
MY RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Do not reopen the parishes for public Mass until August at least. The State of Ohio knows that it is taking a very risky strategy at reopening the economy while attempting to shield the elderly and the vulnerable by encouraging them to stay at home.
By August we should know how risky that strategy is. If we become a part of the reopening in June we could become a great part of the problem if the reopening makes our seniors vulnerable.
August is also a natural time to reopen since it is the low point of annual attendance. That attendance slowly climbs to an average in October (which is why Mass attendance counts are then) and then to a first annual peak at Christmas
2. Continue to develop LIVESTREAMED MASSES as a very attractive alternative to coming to the parish for Mass. They should become the preferred option for the Elderly and Vulnerable
It is very possible that we will have waves of the virus for the next two years until an effective vaccine or herd immunity slows the virus down so much that it is not a problem
3. Develop very strong parish networks that assist the ELDERLY AND VULNERABLE in staying at home for at least two years. These networks should become a strong permanent feature of parish life.
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Jack Rakosky earned PhD in social psychology from an interdisciplinary program in psychology and sociology. Five years in academia, Twenty four years in planning, research, evaluation in public mental health system mostly in Ohio. Principal interests: consumer empowerment and outcome evaluation. Retirement interest: spirituality from a social psychological perspective, MA in spirituality Notre Dame 2008