UPDATE ON COVID-19
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the General Service Office has posted a memo regarding inquiries about how groups should respond to the virus. It states, “Groups and members are concerned about health and safety issues, and are looking for guidance on how to address this question.” We would encourage you to go to the Alcoholics Anonymous World Services website and read the memo in full.
We are including several paragraphs that we think address some questions you might have from your groups.
Some groups that are still meeting in person have shared about making changes to customs at their meetings. Some examples have included: avoiding shaking hands and handholding; making sure meeting hospitality tables are sanitary; or suspending food hospitality for the time being. Many groups have also made contingency plans in case the group is temporarily unable to meet in person. Regardless of group decisions, each individual is responsible for their own health decisions.
Contingency plans have included: creating contact lists and keeping in touch by phone, email or social media; meeting by phone or online. If a group isn’t holding its regular meetings, they may want to communicate this to local A.A. resources, such as the district, area and intergroup or central office. Many local A.A. entities have added information to their websites about how to change a meeting format from “in-person” to online. Some groups have shared that they are utilizing digital platforms such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, or a conference call. Some groups have also added a “virtual Seventh Tradition basket” to remain self-supporting and to keep up the services at the group and the A.A. entities that serve them.
District 4 Meeting updates:
The listings hosted at the “Meetings” and “Meeting Schedules” pages on this site are as up to date as possible. Due to the fluid public health situation and resultant changing state and local regulations, we are having a hard time ensuring our schedules are as accurate as typically expected. If you have updates to provide, please submit them to information_services@3citiesaa.org. We ask that you either be in service at the meeting you’re providing an update for or have first-hand knowledge of the status of the meeting you are updating us about. We have at times received conflicting updates.
Some in our district have wondered if we should post online meetings here. To avoid controversy and affiliation, District 4’s Information Service Committee has decided not to link to any online meetings unless they are hosted by AAs in our district. Beyond that, any search engine will provide results for online meetings using the term “AA online meetings.”