Pandemic and the Protections Needed

After reading this article by  Kristen Kuempel, the Lutheran (ELCA) bishop of the Northwest Intermountain synod, I begin to wonder if it will be wise to gather in larger groups (20+) until we have a cure or a vaccine.  I had already been thinking about what might be needed in terms of sanitizing.  I hadn't thought about insurance and liability issues, and not only for the immediate group but for all who use the facilities.

If someone comes to our church and later has COVID-19, can liability be proven?  Can others who were exposed have a lawsuit?  Would a letter that releases liability hold up in court?

This sentence got my attention:  "Please keep in mind that pastors AND council members can be held personally liable for any decisions they make in this area, risking not only the congregation’s financial security, but their own."

Long ago, I helped change insurance policies for our church, but I couldn't tell you much about liability, beyond the safe space regulations that we needed to make sure we had in place to keep people of all ages safe from predators, primarily the sexual kind.

I'm fairly sure that our church insurance policy doesn't cover pandemic and the protections needed, at least not in a specific way.