Meeting in-Person in Covid Times

Our policy is that all person attending on site at UC Santa Barbara must be vaccinated per these guidelines from the Region’s Executive Committee, communication to members in June:

• The executive committee recommends staying the course with a vaccinated* Congress. Regarding masks, we recommended wearing them indoors. We do not know what the infection levels will be in August. Using the recent Santa Cruz kejiwaan weekend as an example: out of 14 fully vaccinated attendees, two members tested positive after the gathering, with the majority not wearing masks.
  * “vaccinated’ is two doses of Moderna or Pfizer or one dose of Johnson & Johnson and at least one booster, administered at least 14 days before attending the Congress.

Below is an outline of how we arrived at the decision to hold an in-person event and to establish and maintain this policy.  It was indeed a challenging process, as many organizations, both Subud and others, chose NOT to meet in person this summer.

A foundational step for the regional helpers was testing on whether it was right to hold an in-person congress at UCSB. The receiving was affirmative for being onsite together and also for offering a virtual option. This corroborated members’ responses to a Congress survey, reported in our February 2022 newsletter.

However, with variations of Covid still emerging, it was clear that the planning team’s top priority must be to do everything possible to protect the health and safety of all attending onsite. Review of national and state guidelines confirmed that this meant requiring vaccination; also, many survey respondents commented that a vaccination requirement was a key factor in their decision to attend onsite.

For members who may not be vaccinated, it was imperative to offer a virtual congress option. While holding a “dual” event increases the complexity of organization and execution, it enables all who desire to do so to participate, especially in the kejiwaan activities

At time of contract signing, our venue at UCSB campus required both vaccination and masks for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors, which aligned well with our health safety priorities. In June, this requirement was waived for visitors or external groups holding summer events on campus. After considering the options, we decided to align our event with UCSB’s own Summer 2022 policy, which still requires vaccination for onsite staff and students.  This ensures the safest possible environment for our members attending onsite.

It will be truly meaningful for so many of us to gather, both in person and virtually, and to have this opportunity to deepen our surrender together.

With love to all,
Subud CA regional committee, regional helpers & 2022 congress planning team