Dear Friends in the Fellowship,...Hogan has allowed each state jurisdiction to mandate its own restrictions regarding re-opening. As of May 20th: Baltimore City has extended its strict

6152020 How to Re-Open Meetings Safely (With Links)

httpsmailchimp2a9e7fedf097guidelines05202020-2763870 16

Dear Friends in the Fellowship

We know that many members are excited by the prospect of meeting in-personagain There is a temptation to rush to re-open meetings Baltimore Intergrouphas put together suggestions and guidelines for your groups to consider whenmaking an informed group conscience about how to re-open safely once ourrespective jurisdictions allow it These suggestions were compiled with the guidance of the BaltimoreIntergroup Advisory Committee Wersquove also had conversations with and inputfrom several other intergroups and central offices across the country todetermine best practices to protect AA members going forward In addition to suggestions for groups to consider there are also lsquomustsrsquo thatgroups need to abide by to stay within the regulations and mandates of ourstate While there are no lsquomustsrsquo in the AA program there are legal musts inthe larger community Fortunately our programs of recovery has taught us howto be responsible citizens both in AA and the world To protect AA groups should be mindful of the Traditions Tradition 1 tells usldquoOur common welfare should come first personal recovery depends upon AAunityrdquo When making group decisions we say ldquoEach group is autonomousrdquoHowever the second part of Tradition 4 is just as important ldquoexcept in mattersaffecting other groups or AA as a wholerdquo These traditions remind us thatwe must ensure that our group decisions do not negatively impact ourfellow members or AA as a whole and that we as individuals act in waysthat ensure our common welfare Traditions 1 and 4 are important now morethan ever We have to consider the health and well-being of other AAmembers and we need to protect the positive reputation and goodwill of AA inthe community

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Here are considerations for your groups to discuss WHEN CAN AA GROUPS SAFELY RE-OPEN MEETINGS

AA must abide by the mandates of local jurisdictions where our groupsmeet As an organization and as individuals we are not exempt from thelawSince different areas have been hit more severely by COVID-19 GovHogan has allowed each state jurisdiction to mandate its own restrictionsregarding re-opening As of May 20th

Baltimore City has extended its strict STAY AT HOME restrictionsincluding PROHIBITING GATHERINGS OF MORE THAN10 PEOPLE Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County PROHIBITINGGATHERINGS OF MORE THAN 10 PEOPLE RELIGIOUSINSTITUTIONS REMAIN CLOSEDHoward County has similar restrictions though it allows churches tohold outdoor gatherings of less than 10 peopleCarroll County and Harford County have re-opened to the extentthat the governor allowsmdashchurches can be at 50 capacity withattendees 7 feet apart (per Marylandrsquos faith-basedrecommendations)

We will keep you abreast as these restrictions change See here for re-opening plans for each county

WHAT IF OUR GROUP IS READY TO RE-OPEN BUT THE CHURCH ORFACILITY WHERE WE MEET IS NOT

This should go without saying but groups must have permission fromtheir churches and facilities to resume meeting on the premisesmdasheitherinside or on the grounds or parking lot Unfortunately we are aware ofone group that has continued to meet in-person inside the church withoutthe churchrsquos permission We do not condone this even if the intent is tohelp newcomers

WHAT SAFETY PROTOCOLS SHOULD GROUPS HAVE IN PLACE

Groups should be aware of the state restrictions and guidelines churchesand facilities have in place as well as each facilityrsquos individualrequirements Here are some of the public health safety guidelines




recommended for faith-based institutions by the State of Maryland forStage 1 of the re-opening

Limiting the number of people into the spaceRecommended distancing of 6 to 7 feet between individuals (seethe link above)Wearing face masksNon-contact temperature taking at the doors (preferred) or voluntarytemperature taking at homeSanitizing contact surfaces before and after each meeting

Intergroup suggests contacting your church or facility to determine itssafety requirements and adopting them as group policy

WHAT IS CONTACT TRACING AND HOW CAN GROUPS PARTICIPATEWHILE MAINTAINING ANONYMITY

Contact Tracing is a control measure employed by local and state healthdepartment personnel as a key strategy for preventing further spread ofCOVID-19 Public health staff work with a patient to help them recalleveryone with whom they have had close contact during the timeframewhile they may have been infectious Contact tracers already practice aversion of our principle of anonymity They must abide by HIPAA lawswhich means that when someone tests positive for COVID-19 contacttracers warn others of their potential exposure as rapidly and sensitivelyas possible while protecting patient privacy and identityWhy should groups be concerned with contact tracing To ensure that ourcommon welfare comes first groups that meet in-person should have acontingency plan in place if a member tests positive for COVID-19Contact tracers will be contacting the church and the group no matterwhat so itrsquos important that groups be prepared ahead of time with a wayto protect everyones health and anonymity

What is the plan for contacting the church or facility where the groupmeets if someone gets sickWhat is the plan for contacting other AA members who were at ameeting on the same day as an infectious AA member who didnrsquotrealize he or she was sick at that timeWhat is the plan for contacting the church and other AA membersif someone is tested but is still waiting for results What if thememberrsquos test comes back negative

To ensure our common welfare one suggested contingency plan can beaccomplished effectively while maintaining everyonersquos anonymity




Groups could list attendees by first name and phone number foreach meeting That would make it easier to alert everyone about thepotential for infection should someone get ill or if someone is testedGroup should later destroy each meeting list after enough time haspassedIf an AA member tests positive he or she does not have to breakanyones anonymity when talking with contact tracers When acontact tracer asks the infected person who he or she has been incontact with the sick member can say I attended lsquospiritualmeetingsrsquo or lsquocommunity meetingsrsquo (or use another generic term)that meets at lsquosuch-and-suchrsquo church Heres the phone number ofthe primary contact for that meeting who can put you in touch witheveryone else that was at that spiritualcommunity meeting on thatday The contact tracer would then call the group secretary or primarycontact to explain that someone from the meeting at the church hastested positive for COVID-19The group secretary can give the list of first names and phonenumbers to the contact tracer who would be in charge of notifyingeveryone OR the secretary could notify everyone Either way noone has to know the name of the person who is sick (since HIPAAwould prohibit the contact tracer from naming the patient) and noone would have to say anything about being a member of AA

If an AA member is tested and is still waiting for results onerecommendation is to inform the church or facility where the group meetsas well as everyone at the meeting so those people know to self-quarantine

In the event that a personrsquos test is negative we recommendnotifying members and the church so people can be released fromself-quarantine We can do all of this in a way that assure anonymityand is compliant with HIPAA

WHAT IF GROUPS WANT TO COMBINE IN-PERSON AND VIRTUALMEETINGS

Some groups have talked about the possibility of combining in-personmeetings with Zoom meetings to form a ldquohybridrdquo meeting If your group isleaning toward this option here are some considerations




Is everyone at the in-person meeting comfortable participating in avideo Zoom meetingWould it be better to disable the video capability but allow the phonefunction

Maryland has recording laws that groups must abide While Zoommeetings should not be recorded it is still important that groups abideby the electronic communication portion of the statute to be safe Thismeans everyone participating in the meeting must give their consentbefore any electronic communication is started In Maryland impliedconsent is enough to make the call legal meaning anyone who stays atthe meeting is giving consent Making a statement and having clearsignage would comply with Marylandrsquos recording law Onerecommendation is for group secretaries to make an announcement atthe beginning of the meeting such as ldquoThis is to inform everyone thatthere is electronic equipment being used to connect to Zoom so thatothers online may participaterdquo (The link above is not an endorsement ofthe website but is meant for information purposes only)

ARE THERE WAYS TO CARRY THE MESSAGE THAT WE HAVENrsquoTCONSIDEREDFortunately newcomers have been getting sober in Zoom meetings What thispandemic has taught us is that there are many ways to connectmdashnot justlocally but internationallymdashand there are lots of ways to carry the messageWhile we all miss meeting safely in person we have more tools available to usto stay sober We can attend meetings anywhere in the world we can invitespeakers from afar to chair our meetings we can attend workshops round-upsand other events from the comfort of our homes Phone and online meetings donot replace the need for in-person meetings but theyrsquove added to all the waysthat we can carry the message of hope and recovery to still suffering alcoholicsand old-timers alike So our decisions to re-open should be made carefullyand deliberately A higher power guides us through this process if we ask forhelp

Finally our sincere thanks to all of you who forward this message to your AAfriends and home group members in the fellowship We look forward to seeingyou one of these days soon and we wish everyone continued sobriety andgood health

In gratitudeThe Intergroup Office Staff




Jen G AdministratorCarol C Doug McK amp Lisa V Special Workers

Copyright copy 2020 Intergroup All rights reserved

Want to change how you receive these emailsYou can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list




Here are considerations for your groups to discuss WHEN CAN AA GROUPS SAFELY RE-OPEN MEETINGS

AA must abide by the mandates of local jurisdictions where our groupsmeet As an organization and as individuals we are not exempt from thelawSince different areas have been hit more severely by COVID-19 GovHogan has allowed each state jurisdiction to mandate its own restrictionsregarding re-opening As of May 20th

Baltimore City has extended its strict STAY AT HOME restrictionsincluding PROHIBITING GATHERINGS OF MORE THAN10 PEOPLE Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County PROHIBITINGGATHERINGS OF MORE THAN 10 PEOPLE RELIGIOUSINSTITUTIONS REMAIN CLOSEDHoward County has similar restrictions though it allows churches tohold outdoor gatherings of less than 10 peopleCarroll County and Harford County have re-opened to the extentthat the governor allowsmdashchurches can be at 50 capacity withattendees 7 feet apart (per Marylandrsquos faith-basedrecommendations)

We will keep you abreast as these restrictions change See here for re-opening plans for each county

WHAT IF OUR GROUP IS READY TO RE-OPEN BUT THE CHURCH ORFACILITY WHERE WE MEET IS NOT

This should go without saying but groups must have permission fromtheir churches and facilities to resume meeting on the premisesmdasheitherinside or on the grounds or parking lot Unfortunately we are aware ofone group that has continued to meet in-person inside the church withoutthe churchrsquos permission We do not condone this even if the intent is tohelp newcomers

WHAT SAFETY PROTOCOLS SHOULD GROUPS HAVE IN PLACE

Groups should be aware of the state restrictions and guidelines churchesand facilities have in place as well as each facilityrsquos individualrequirements Here are some of the public health safety guidelines












































































































Documents

Dear Friends in the Fellowship,...Hogan has allowed each state jurisdiction to mandate its own restrictions regarding re-opening. As of May 20th: Baltimore City has extended its strict