This document is intended to outline general norms and best practices for Hinenu community members while there are active recommendations from public health agencies for social distancing. We understand that people are experiencing this public health emergency in different ways, and have different levels of real and perceived risk, and different levels of ability to meet all recommended guidelines.
Our community’s norms will likely evolve as science’s understanding of the virus and the recommendations of public health professionals evolve.
Social Distancing Norms
“Social distancing” is a new term around which we don’t all yet have shared meaning. Given the prevalence of asymptomatic spread (i.e. passing the virus even if you don’t feel sick), it is crucial that we abide by the following to the extent feasible for you:
Leaving your home as infrequently as possible
This means leaving only to go to work, if you must; for essential shopping/errands (minimizing trips); and solitary outdoor exercise
Walking your pet, or yourself, is also necessary and fine, but wave to friends from a distance (minimum 6 feet). Note: there is not a magical six-foot force field! We’re not encouraging social visits at six-foot distance, but rather urging you to maintain that distance from people when you must go out.
Having no visitors to your home. This includes family and friends who do not live in your household.
Limiting delivery to essential items, minimizing interaction with delivery personnel, and cleaning the packaging/surfaces that come into your home
If you take on a slightly higher level of risk (as appropriate for your situation or mandated by your job), you have an increased responsibility to vulnerable community members to take precautions so as not to make them ill.
What this means: If you must still report to work (thank you for your work!), are still meeting with people outside of your household to take walks and such, or are taking on outside-of-the-home volunteering roles, you should consider that you may be exposed to the virus without knowing it, for some time.
If the above describes you, you should not interact with people who are in vulnerable groups (to the extent possible), and you should undertake your volunteering with care, for the safety of people to whom you are delivering needed goods. See below, for guidelines around volunteering/providing chesed.
Providing Chesed Safely
Through Hinenu’s Neighborhood Minyanim, or through other networks/organizations of which you are a part, you may be tasked with delivering necessary goods or resources to people who are ill, or otherwise in need. The below guidelines are meant to keep both you and the person receiving care safe; given that the role of asymptomatic people in virus transmission may be significant, you should be exercising extreme care and caution even when you’re feeling fine.
Don’t volunteer in person, for anything involving food prep, or for errands that include leaving your home, (including to deliver items) if you are ill or experiencing any symptoms.
This also extends to people who have been exposed in the last 14 days to someone who is known to have COVID-19, or to someone undergoing testing.
Wear gloves to handle and distribute food or supplies, if at all possible, and be sure not to touch your face with the gloves, or cough on them.
In general, we should be delivering supplies, not home-cooked items, due to the risks inherent to food prep.
However, if someone is confirmed to have COVID-19 they likely need homemade soup as much as they need groceries, and their risk from exposure to an asymptomatic person’s kitchen is low.
Wash your hands (or use hand sanitizer) between all deliveries.
Regularly sanitize items that you touch while you’re out volunteering, such as high touch places on your car or bike, your keys, wallet, phone, etc.
Let the person to whom you’re delivering items know when to expect you, and message them again when you’ve dropped the item off
This feels different how we are accustomed to caring for each other. Please feel free to be as loving as possible in your notification messages, and remember that being rigorous to keep someone well (including yourself) is a tremendous act of solidarity.