Here is the message Bishop Scott Mayer issued March 6, 2020, on the Coronavirus.
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If an angel appeared to us today, I suspect the message might be, “Stay calm and wash your hands.”
Good information is a powerful way to combat fear. With the coronavirus and widespread news of a possible pandemic, good information is vital.
The diocesan communication staff has been regularly updating information on the diocesan webpage about good precautions to take, resources to use, and ways to protect yourself and your congregations.
The first one is the simplest one – stay calm and wash your hands. Soap and water destroy the outer membrane surrounding the virus and kills it. If you are worried about the common cup, it is perfectly fine to not take the wine at all. Avoid intinction. The sacrament is just as complete in either the bread or the wine as it is in both.
Go to this link https://edotn.org/resources-for-sensible-precautions-regarding-coronavirus/ to see a wealth of good resources and preventive measures.
While you are there, take the time to watch the five-minute video explanation by a Canadian physician of what the virus is, what it does, and how we can stop it.
Dr. Peter Li says, “If we get the facts right, then we don’t have to be overly worried, but we do the right things so that we don’t get the virus ourselves and that we don’t pass it on to others. And if we look after each other in this way, this virus will have no where to go. It needs us to move it, it needs us to make copies for it. If we don’t help it, then the virus will stop. So we have the power to do that right now.”
The key statement here is “If we look after each other…” It’s an echo of what Jesus commanded us to do in loving one another.
This is especially important for healthy folk to understand, for COVID-19 impacts the very young and the elderly, immunocompromised and immunosuppressed folks, at higher numbers and with more severe symptoms. These are the most vulnerable among us and they rely on those with more robust immune systems to prevent the spread of this virus.
Love one another. Pray for one another. Stay calm. And wash your hands
A Prayer for Quiet Confidence
O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou
art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer, p. 832