Following this afternoon’s announcement by the Prime Minister, I am writing to reassure you that church services are still allowed to go ahead, so St John’s we are intending to continue with all our services as previously advertised.
The Archbishop of Canterbury responded this evening to the latest news and highlighted the importance of caution: “We are grateful that, even in tier four, church buildings can be open this Christmas. But I urge everyone to take precautions and, especially for those in tier four, to be exceptionally careful. Even though attending public worship is permitted, many people may feel it is currently better they do not do so. Those who are shielding should certainly feel no compulsion.”
Along with Daniel and the Church Wardens I have reviewed our anti-infection measures, and we are confident that we are already taking every sensible precaution to keep our church members and visitors safe and healthy.
The Government has not imposed any new restrictions on top of the guidance for Tier 3, but we have decided unilaterally to raise our safety levels by having the congregation sit in every third pew rather than every second pew. The ‘No Entry’ signs on the pews have been re-positioned to make this clear, and we believe that we can still accommodate everyone who would like to come to our services.
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols will go ahead as planned, though we will close off the front pews to keep the congregation at least 5 metres away from the choir. Members of the choir will be spaced at least 3 metres apart from each other (unless from the same household) and we will also be using perspex safety screens to limit the spread of infection between singers. I will be writing to all singers and readers shortly to set out our safety plans for that service so that each person can make their own informed decision about whether they can participate safely.
It is now more important than ever that we all stick to the hygiene rules at all times, including regular thorough hand-washing and the use of hand sanitiser, the one-way system, cleaning pews between services and no sharing of common books or vessels. It is a legal requirement to wear a face covering at all times in church buildings except for those who are exempt or involved in leading worship. Please also remember that socialising with other households is not permitted either inside or outside church buildings.
I hope you will agree that the risks are being managed in an effective way to minimise the danger to church members and our visitors. However please let me know if you have any queries or concerns, or suggestions for improvement.
Andrew the Vicar