COVID

 This morning after communion, the pastor gave us a rundown of the church's response to preventing a further outbreak of COVID. If we want to wear a mask, we can; if we have a sore throat, we are encouraged to wear one. If sick, it is best to stay home. The church building will be warmed up before the service so that when we are there, we can open the windows for ventillation. We will continue to have our fellowship after the service, but there will be no cookies or snacks, only drinks.  Our services are streamed, but we will continue to meet face to face as long as it is safe.  The pastor will let us know of any changes.

At school, as far as I know, we continue to meet in person. All but one of the international students has arrived in Hungary and the one who has not yet come seems to have no internet access, so all my students are in class. Some have missed class due to illness, but at the moment, we are trying not to think about lockdowns. The rector of the university has taken the same stance on masks that the pastor shared this morning. At the beginning of the semester, teachers were instructed to clarify in our syllabus which parts of our course are online and which parts are offline. My Hungarian teacher said that the plan was to meet in person, but if the situation changed, we have a plan for online language learning.

After church this morning, one of the mothers of a preschooler told me that her daughter's school would be closed this week for cleaning and disinfecting. Grandmother is coming to visit for a week. 

Otherwise, things are going along as they have been since my arrival. Yesterday, a friend of mine who teaches English at the high school took me on a walk through a nature park by the side of the river.  On our way to the other end of the trail, we saw five or six families playing by the riverside, biking, and walking.  On the way back, we encountered about a dozen families; most of them were walking their dogs. 




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