A letter from the TAA COVID Advisory Committee

December 20, 2022

Dear TAA members:

The holiday season is fully upon us. Families, friends, and members of our congregation are coming together to celebrate holidays and to enjoy each other’s company. Even though there’s a general feeling of things getting back to normal with respect to COVID, the reality is that there is now an increasing risk to all of us of significant respiratory illness. COVID, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are all surging, such that physician offices, urgent care centers, emergency rooms and inpatient health care facilities are extremely busy and are likely to get busier.

There are measures you can take to minimize your risk of becoming ill this winter. The COVID Advisory Committee recommends:

• If you are experiencing any symptoms that could indicate COVID  infection, the flu or any other respiratory illness (fever>100 degrees, chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, fatigue, headache, body  aches, runny nose or congestion, new loss of sense of taste or smell) you should stay home and not expose others to infection.
• Take advantage of the new bivalent COVID booster and the flu vaccine. Both are effective at preventing illness, especially serious illness.
• Wear a high-quality mask (N95, KN95, KF94) when in close proximity to others. Please remember that masking is required for those who are not up to date with COVID boosters or who have not had a negative COVID test within 72 hours of entering the temple.

We all wish the circumstances were different, but now is not a time to let our guard down completely or to assume that the risks of the pandemic are over.

Happy Chanukah and Happy New Year.

The TAA COVID Advisory Committee