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Health & Safety Practices

At Nehar Shalom, we care about the physical, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being of everyone in our community, and we recognize that we

are in it together: it takes all of us to keep all of us safe.

COVID-19 Policy

Nehar Shalom has an outstanding committee of epidemiologists and healthcare providers who guide our community’s health and safety practices. As a community, we prioritize keeping one another as safe as we can, practicing collective care. You can read our full COVID-19 policy here. At this time, we are meeting in person for services, family programs, and other gatherings. Knowing that not everyone in our community will be comfortable meeting in-person indoors, we are livestreaming most of our services as well. 

 

Before attending any in-person gatherings, please be familiar with the information and practices outlined here. If you bring guests along with you, please make sure you share this with them as well. 

 

  • Do not come if you have any symptoms! If you aren’t feeling well, or if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or other infectious illness, please stay home. Symptoms include cough, trouble breathing, fever, fatigue, body or headache, sore throat, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of taste or smell. And of course, do not come if you have tested positive for COVID in the past 10 days.  If you have a non-COVID illness, please stay home until your symptoms are improving and you have been fever-free for 24 hours.

  • We expect all eligible individuals to be fully vaccinated, including all boosters for which they are eligible, before attending in-person events. 

    • This policy is implemented on an honor system; we will not be verifying vaccination status.  We trust that our community members will take responsibility for one another’s health, particularly the health of immunocompromised members and infants who cannot yet be vaccinated, by refraining from attending any in-person events if they choose not to be vaccinated.

  • Everyone over age 2 attending Nehar Shalom events must wear a high-filtration (N95, KN95, or KF94) mask covering their nose and mouth at all times, regardless of vaccination status.

    • Children under the age of 2 are not required to (and should not attempt to) wear masks. Children ages 2-6 should wear masks, with the understanding that masking of young children may be imperfect.

    • People with medical conditions that make them unable to wear a mask will not be required to wear masks; legally, we cannot ask for verification of this, but expect that all adult attendees will be honest and will wear a mask unless they are truly medically unable to do so

    • Service leaders may unmask if they test negative for COVID on a rapid test before services.

    • Food will be served at some Nehar events, such as kiddush.  When possible, food will be served outside.  When this is not possible, there will be a designated eating area where people may unmask.  Everyone should remain masked when not eating or drinking and when in the non-eating area.

  • If anyone in your household has COVID, stay home. Even if you don’t have symptoms and are testing negative, please stay home until at least 5 days after your household member has recovered.  For days 6-10 after your household member has recovered, you may come to Nehar events, but please rapid test first and wear a high-filtration mask the entire time, even if food is being served or you are leading services.

  • If you’ve been exposed to COVID outside your household, please take a rapid test before coming to Nehar events for 10 days after your exposure.  Please also wear a high-filtration mask at all times for 10 days after your exposure, even if food is being served or if you are leading services.

  • Whenever possible, we meet outdoors. When meeting indoors, we use HEPA air filters and we open the windows and doors and use window fans for ventilation whenever possible. 

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through these guidelines, and for committing to help keep our community members safe.

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