As the realities of life after the Covid-19 pandemic have evolved, so have the procedures that Come before Winter (CbW) employs for our in-person events. The core question that has shaped our procedures has been “How can we best love our neighbors and serve women in need of renewal?” We recognize that the diversity of Covid-19 experiences, opinions, responses, and personal needs means that we will not be able to craft procedures that every person will agree with at any given moment. However, we do not all have to agree in order to maintain loving relationships with one another and the communities we serve. This has been a core belief of Come before Winter from the very beginning. We believe that Christian unity is more important than proclaiming our opinion as “right.” This value has guided us in shaping what we believe is a set of procedures that will create a loving, hospitable environment for as many people as we can possibly serve. This renewal is intended to serve women from a variety of countries and regions, each of which has responded in different ways to the pandemic, so we seek to create a space that will feel inviting and welcoming to as many of those women as we can.

We have done our best to craft procedures that can evolve based on the medical realities at the time we are planning our events, trusting that our medical advisors will help us to reshape them if the need arises. Our leadership has been prayerful about these procedures at every step, and has reevaluated them periodically to ensure they continue to meet our desire to create as safe and welcoming of an environment as we can. Because Covid-19 guidelines are continually changing in response to an ever-evolving disease, there are certain procedures CbW knows in advance that we will follow even as others may be asked of participants closer to the renewal based on travel requirements or public health recommendations at the time of the renewal. We ask for your patience, understanding, and flexibility as we strive to create a renewal that meets the needs of participants.

Vaccination
All CbW team members must have received, at a minimum, one complete course of Covid-19 vaccination and at least one booster. Additional boosters are highly recommended if eligible. Bivalent boosters are encouraged if available.

“One complete course of vaccination” equates to one of the following (as of Oct. 18, 2022):

1. Two doses of one of these vaccines:
   1. Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech)
   2. Spikevax (Moderna)
   3. Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca)
   4. Covaxin
   5. Covishield
   6. BIBP/Sinopharm
   7. CoronaVac (Sinovac)
   8. Nuvaxovid (Novavax)
   9. Covovax
   10. Medicago
2. One dose of these vaccines:
   1. Janssen/Johnson & Johnson
   2. Convidecia (CanSinoBIO)

Masks
Participants and team members are welcome to wear masks if they desire. The decision about whether we will require masks indoors for all attendees will be made closer to the renewal depending on the recommendations of our medical advisors, health authorities, and local ordinances at the time.

Testing
If testing is required for your return travel, CbW will coordinate that testing with as little disruption to your participation in the renewal as possible.

Other things to keep in mind:

• If you develop symptoms before traveling to the renewal, please contact your renewal director ASAP and follow any recommendations from her.
• CbW will follow any local ordinances that may be in place and any COVID-related procedures that may be required by the conference facility designed to protect the health and safety of staff and attendees.
• If symptoms develop, team members may be isolated in the hotel until other arrangements can be made, based on the recommendation of our medical advisors.