Advice for visiting places of worship safely

Places of worship are due to reopen from Saturday 4 July, as the government continues to ease lockdown measures.

Here’s some advice from Lancashire Resilience Forum on keeping safe when you visit places of worship.

Hygiene – Everyone should wash/sanitise their hands before and after visiting the place of worship.

Face coverings – Whilst these are optional, they may offer protection to others. Ensure they are worn properly.

Travel – Avoid using public transport and car sharing with others not in your household to travel to places of worship.

Food & drink – Where food and drink are essential to the act of worship, they can be used. However, sharing of food and the use of communal vessels should be avoided.

Vulnerable people – There should be a particular focus on protecting people who are clinically vulnerable and more likely to develop severe illness.

Young people should be supervised at all times by parents or guardians.

Cash donations should be avoided where possible, in favour of online or contactless donations.

Singing, chanting and use of musical instruments – People should avoid singing or playing music loudly which may encourage shouting. This is because of the potential for increased risk of transmission from aerosol and droplets.

Enforcement – All places of worship are required to complete a COVID-19 risk assessment.

Anyone showing COVID-19 symptoms must not attend any services in places of worship.

Here’s the latest detail on numbers of people allowed at services and ceremonies:

Communal worship

Limits for communal worship should be decided locally following a risk assessment on the basis of the size of the venue and circumstance (including ventilation), including surrounding grounds. The number of people allowed to enter the place of worship at any one time should be limited, so that a safe distance of at least two metres between households can be maintained, or one metre plus where two metres is not possible.

Wedding ceremonies

Numbers are restricted to no more than 30 people in attendance.

Funerals

Numbers attending should ideally not exceed 30 people. However, the size and circumstance of the venue will determine the maximum number that can be accommodated with social distancing.

Other life cycle ceremonies

There should be no more than 30 people present at other ceremonies.

More information on the reopening of places of worship is available on the Gov.UK website.