COVID-19 Pandemic

Whilst Government guidance has been revised to allow activities to take place in church buildings, it is still vital that the necessary hygiene and social distancing precautions (if warranted) are kept in place in order to protect the NHS and save lives.

The Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, has thanked parishes and the public for their sacrifices as England lifts plan B measures from Thursday 27 January,

From 27 January, the rules for places of worship have changed to:

• Face coverings are no longer mandatory in any setting but may be recommended in enclosed or crowded places, particularly where you come into contact with people you don’t normally meet.
• The legal limits on the numbers of people allowed to meet indoors and outdoors have been removed, including all capacity limits in churches and other venues, as well as removal of the 1 metre+ social distancing rules.
  
  

Updated resources are here:

• Guidance issued by the Church of England 25 January
• Risk assessment template for opening church buildings

 

 

From 19 July, the rules for places of worship are:

• There are no longer limits on the number of people you can meet. This means there are no restrictions on group sizes for attending communal worship.
• Legal requirements for social distancing will no longer apply and you will not need to stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with.
• There are no legal restrictions on the number of people that can attend a place of worship, including at significant life events, such as bar/bat mitzvahs, private baptisms, and naming ceremonies.
• COVID-secure rules, including table service requirements and restrictions on singing and dancing, will no longer apply. However, there are steps everyone should continue to consider to reduce the risk of transmission, which are explained in this guidance. Places of worship should follow the principles set out in the working safely guidance.
• There will no longer be limits on the number of people who can sing indoors or outdoors. This includes indoor congregational and communal singing.

We, in the Guild, want to ask you all to look after yourselves, and your congregations. Follow the advice given to you from the NHS and from the Church and dioceses websites, please remember to keep checking for any updated information.

• Government Advice on for the safe use of places of worship during the pandemic
• Church of England Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance
• NHS advice
• UK Government

Future Safety

As churches begin to look towards being able to open again, we must all look at how we will safeguard all people who come into our buildings.

Charles Farris has released some COVID-19 safety products (please note that others may be available elsewhere) and these may be viewed here.

They have also produced some flyers that can be downloaded and viewed separatley

• Hand Cleansing and Surface Sanitising
• Hand Dispensers & Sanitising Stations
• Church Safety Signage

Need To Stream Your Services?

In these unprecedented times, churches have been asking CCLI for a licence to stream worship services. They have been working hard to find a solution.

Their new Church Streaming Licence, combined with the Limited Online Music Licence (LOML) from PRS for Music, permits you to legally webcast your services, including the worship music.

Further information can be obtained from the CCLI website. You can contact them via this link.