It’s coming, and for some of us it’s already here.

I have had my first Covid-19 test for the latest outbreak and I expect there will be many more. I hope you all have a household readiness plan in place.

The Connexional Office has split its teams up and different parts of the teams are working at different times in the office. There is to be no cross over between the new bubbles. If Omicron takes out one office bubble, then the other bubble should be OK.

You and your group/s may want to think about something similar. Create multiple networks of support because if Omicron appears at your place then potentially your church place network people may not be able to respond for each other if there wasn’t some degree of separation.

A parish in Te Kuiti that had Delta visit last year have some lessons for us:

1. Up to date contact information is a priority. When the parish is all laid up with Covid-19 then phone calls and emails are going to be the primary contact points for many

2. Consider creating separate teams because when your church people are knocked down who will be doing the running around

3. Maintain personal privacy regarding health details. Be respectful.

4. Think now about the ways to manage the emotional outpouring that is going to happen. Think of the stigmatisation that can occur when a group is labelled as Covid-unclean. Support each other and our communities with love and understanding.

by Trudy Downes, Caring For Our People