We strive to provide you with information to protect your property and your people. We have collected resources to help you as you prepare to re-open your church.
We strive to provide you with information to protect your property and your people. We have collected resources to help you as you prepare to re-open your church.
3 Steps to Develop a Church Reopening Sanitation Plan
The time has come for us to begin planning to share a laugh before Sunday school, to join our voices and sing praise to God, and to worship in the physical community with each other. As our country, state, and local governments begin to ease guidelines for social distancing, considering the continued care for your community and church members is extremely important. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided guidance for you to develop, implement, and maintain a sanitation plan for your facility.
Draft a Sanitation Plan
Before any gathering in the facility, the church should be cleaned and sanitized. The CDC recommends areas that have been unoccupied for a full week should be cleaned as you would normally. Walk through your facility and determine which areas are high traffic or high touchpoints. Take extra care to disinfect those surfaces and make a special note in your plan to continually disinfect them. Develop a schedule for cleaning and keep a record of the areas that are cleaned and which cleaning supplies are used for each surface. Determine if your ministry will need to borrow, rent, or purchase any necessary cleaning supplies or equipment to implement your sanitization plan. As you purchase your cleaning supplies, consider purchasing through UMC GPO to receive discounts on your purchases through retailers like Staples.
Implement Your Sanitation Plan
Based on your church's reopening plan and sanitation plan, begin cleaning the church facilities and surfaces as scheduled. Before using any disinfectant on a surface, wipe any visibly dirty areas with basic cleaning supplies like soap and water. When disinfecting, be sure that you only use disinfectants that are EPA-approved to fight against COVID-19. A list of approved products can be viewed on the EPA website. As you purchase and use cleaning agents, follow usage instructions that are printed on the products. These instructions ensure you are safely and effectively using the cleaning agent.
Maintain Your Plan
As your church and extended faith community begin to increase activity at your church facilities schedule time for your leadership to review and revise your cleaning plan and procedures. High traffic areas should be cleaned and disinfected daily at the least. While cleaning, all staff or volunteers should maintain safety procedures and social distancing guidelines. Communicate all changes in procedures and policies to the appropriate audiences. Also, if you have asked local law enforcement to check on your building during its vacancy, notifying them of your scheduled activities at the building will help avoid miscommunications with law enforcement and ensure the continued security of the church's facility.
Other Information and Important Links
Additionally, adhere to all local and state regulations regarding gatherings of more than 10 people. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted different areas to different degrees. Local government and health officials should provide your ministry leadership with the guidance most relevant for your area. Below are more links and guidance from the CDC on reopening and sanitation:
Do you have questions about insurance coverage for COVID-19 exposures or other church insurance-related matters? Email us today at info@umins.org or visit our website uminsure.org/covid19links.
This information is intended to serve as a starting point for creating a plan to return to your place of gathering and worship. Please review your state and local guidelines and stay abreast of the latest information through the CDC and your state health department. These and other measures can reduce the chance of the spread of Covid-19 but nothing can completely eliminate the risk of the transmission of this or other illnesses. Wear your mask; wash your hands; maintain safe distances; and if you don’t feel well, have been exposed to Covid-19, or have underlying health issues then please avoid gathering with others until it’s safe to do so.
This content has been prepared by United Methodist Insurance Company (UMI) for informational purposes only. No article or document may accurately contemplate all possible scenarios or church resources. As such, this information is meant to foster discussion by the individual church and its members to develop a plan tailored to its own circumstances. UMI is providing this information with no warranties or guarantees of any kind and it should not be viewed as legal, financial, or other professional advice. All liability is expressly disclaimed. Any claim examples described herein are general in nature, may or may not be based on actual claims, and are for informational purposes only. Any coverage available for a claim is determined from the facts and circumstances of the claim as well as the terms and conditions of any applicable policy, including any exclusions or deductibles. In the event of a conflict with the content herein, the terms and conditions of any issued policy will control. Individual coverage may vary and may not be available in all states.
The commercial insurance coverages for United Methodist Insurance are sold and serviced directly or indirectly by Sovereign Insurance Agency (CA Lic. No. 0B01380) ("Sovereign") and underwritten by various available insurance markets. Sovereign pays United Methodist Insurance a royalty for the use of its intellectual property.
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