By now, most of you know that I have COVID-19. Yes, it’s true. On Tuesday I got hit with terrible flu-like symptoms, and, in keeping with my weekly practice, I went and got tested… this time positive. I am now quarantined to my bedroom for 10 days. As I said in the video, this is a very nasty virus. Not trying to scare you… just encourage you to step up your protection a notch. Wear your mask, clean your hands, stay distanced, you know the drill. You DO NOT want what I have, and I DO NOT want you to feel like I feel. So please pray for Nancy and me during this time.

So, what does this mean?

No IN-PERSON Church this Sunday

Out of an abundance of caution, Paul Wardlaw and I feel the best approach is to have live streaming only this Sunday at the 10:00 service. You can access our live stream at dillonchurch.org/live. While we do not have reason to believe you were in any danger, our desire to protect all of you leads us to this decision. Yes, some of you were close to me, but after lengthy discussions with the Department of Public Health, I feel the risk is very minor.

Potential for Infection

Having said that, there is still the possibility that you were exposed by being in close proximity with me (even though I had my mask on). Here are the recommendations from the Health Department:

If you develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19:

• Follow the isolation instructions found at https://covid19.colorado.gov/how-to-isolate.
• Get tested.
• Stay home from work and avoid other activities around other people.
• Seek medical care and testing for COVID-19, calling your doctor before you show up.

If you do not have symptoms, you do not need to do anything differently. If you choose to get tested for COVID-19 without symptoms, do so 7-10 days after the possible exposure. Be aware that a negative test result does not mean that you will not develop symptoms or become infected after the test. A negative test result only means that you did not have virus detected at the time of testing. Medical insurance may not cover the cost of asymptomatic testing unless you are identified as a close contact of a case. If you have further questions, please contact Summit County Public Health: (970) 668-4015

In the meantime, thank you so much for working to keep our congregation safe and infection-free. I am under the care and monitoring by my doctor. He is taking very good care of me. Also, as I talked to several members of the Health Department, they all expressed the same gratitude I feel toward you. They know we are being careful. The Lord has been gracious to us and we have had a very low number of infections. Except for me, let’s keep it that way.

Warmly in Christ,
Jim