Coronavirus Safety & Precautions

Dear St. Joseph Catholic Church Parishioners, 

The Center for Disease Controls (CDC) released a statement regarding the potential for the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the United States. St. Joseph Catholic Church is doing our part to best support the health and well-being of our parishioners and visitors. 

At this time, we are taking the following precautions:  

• Exchanging a friendly gesture during the sign of peace instead of hand shaking.
• Not offering the precious blood (wine)
• Body of Christ will only be offered in open hands. 
• Additional cleaning of all pews and surface areas.
• Hand sanitizer will be available to parishioners and guests at all exits.
• Additional Kleenex boxes will be available throughout the church.
• Holy Water fonts at the rear of the church and in the Narthex will be emptied. However, there will be water in the large baptismal font.

Prevention
The Lake County Health Department, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) advise the following measures to help prevent the spread of Coronaviruses:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If no soap and water are available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Symptoms
Here are the symptoms of the Coronavirus according to the Lake County Health Department:
Common human coronaviruses usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold. These illnesses usually only last for a short amount of time. Symptoms may include:

• runny nose
• headache
• cough
• sore throat
• fever
• a general feeling of being unwell

In order to limit prevention of all communicable diseases, we need your cooperation. It is imperative that anyone showing any symptoms of illness stay home.
Human coronaviruses can sometimes cause lower-respiratory tract illnesses, such as pneumonia or bronchitis. 
Here are some fact sheets:
 
https://www.lakecountyil.gov/4377/Coronavirus-Disease-2019-COVID-19 
  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019-ncov-factsheet.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019-ncov-factsheet-sp.pdf  
Thank you for your cooperation.