This is because of the potentially sensitive nature of the data collected in these circumstances, which is protected by law. You should make clear that giving contact details is optional and is not a condition of attending your place of worship. We have created a template form for collecting consent at places of worship, available in Annex B. The workplace testing programme supplies home test kits to companies with over ten workers where it is not possible to set up testing on-site.
This could be due to a lack of space or because a company operates across multiple sites. Over 60, businesses across the country have already registered their interest to provide rapid tests to key workers. There are valid exemptions for some individuals and groups to not wear a face covering in these settings. In particular, those who are leading permitted services or events in a place of worship, and those who assist them. You are not required to wear a face covering whilst eating or drinking.
See guidance on the wearing of face coverings at a place of work. For more information please see guidance on face coverings. Anyone showing symptoms of COVID a new continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste or smell should not attend the place of worship due to the risk that they pose to others; they should self-isolate at home immediately with other members of their household.
Remote participation should be considered, for example by live streaming. This applies equally to individuals who work at the place of worship. Where individuals are self-isolating due to a possible or confirmed case of COVID in the household, or because they have been requested to do so by NHS Test and Trace, they should only participate remotely.
For a funeral, if you are a close family member of the deceased, we strongly recommend that you attend remotely, if possible, to reduce the risk of COVID spread to other mourners. However, if after careful consideration of the risk, you choose to attend in person, it is essential that you follow the precautions outlined in the guidance for arranging or attending a funeral during the coronavirus pandemic.
On entering and leaving a place of worship, everyone, including staff, should be asked to wash their hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds using soap and water, or to use hand sanitiser if hand washing facilities are not available.
There should be signs and posters to build awareness of good handwashing technique, the need to increase handwashing frequency, avoid touching your face and to cough or sneeze into a tissue which is binned safely, or into the crook of your sleeved arm if a tissue is not available.
Toilets inside or linked to places of worship should be kept open and carefully managed to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID Steps that will usually be needed to make the use of toilets as safe as possible:.
All surfaces, especially those most frequently touched such as door handles and rails, should be regularly cleaned using standard cleaning products.
See guidance on cleaning in non-healthcare settings. Sufficient time needs to be allowed for this cleaning to take place, particularly before reopening for the first time or between different types of permitted activities.
Frequently used objects, surfaces or spaces, including for example doorways between outside and inside spaces should be given particular attention when cleaning. Historic England has also produced guidance on cleaning historic surfaces , which might not be suitable for cleaning using standard cleaning products.
A decision should be made locally on how frequently cleaning should take place based on an assessment of risk and use of the building. See guidance on waste disposal in non-healthcare settings.
Each place of worship is strongly advised to implement the measures set out in this guidance and complete any recommended risk assessments for the safety of all those who visit and work there. The government strongly advises each place of worship to ensure that visitors follow social distancing guidelines. Many faiths have issued specific guidance to their faith communities about some of these issues. You should consider informing those who are clinically extremely vulnerable that, while they are able to attend places of worship, they are advised to consider taking extra precautions to reduce risk of exposure to the virus and to follow the relevant guidance.
Places of worship and faith leaders should consider how guidance can be communicated to visitors, including before they visit, in a way that is accessible and appropriate for the cultures, languages and reading levels of communities served by the place of worship.
Adapting a place of worship to COVID measures will inevitably result in changes to operating policies, processes and procedures at the place of worship. Any changes to these should always be considered with regard to security implications. In implementing this guidance, places of worship should continue to take account of protective security considerations to maintain effective security of the premises, all staff and visitors, especially around entry and exit procedures, and any queueing or crowding outside the building where people can be more exposed.
Individuals with responsibility for the security of the venue should be consulted and involved throughout to help ensure good security is maintained as far as possible and that there are not any unintended security consequences as a result of any changes that are made. An assessment of risk should be undertaken on any new measures or changes in operation to ensure risks have been considered and all practical actions taken to reduce the risk of transmission identified and put in place.
It is up to each place of worship to assess the level of risk, and places of worship may choose to delay opening if they do not feel they are able to safely do so under current social distancing measures. In the process of completing a risk assessment you should consider the security factors at Annex A.
Where the enforcing authority usually your local authority , identifies responsible individuals who are not taking action to comply with the relevant public health legislation and guidance to control public health risks including this guidance , they will consider taking a range of actions to improve control of risks.
For example, this would cover employers not taking appropriate action to ensure social distancing, where possible. The actions the enforcing authority can take include the provision of specific advice to employers to support them to achieve the required standard, through to issuing enforcement notices to help secure improvements.
Serious breaches and failure to comply with enforcement notices are against the law with serious fines and even imprisonment for up to 2 years. Employers are expected to respond to such actions or any advice or notices issued by enforcing authorities rapidly and are required to do so within any timescales imposed by the enforcing authority.
However, inspectors are carrying out compliance checks nationwide to ensure that employers are taking the necessary steps. Whilst busy crowding is unlikely if social distancing is operating correctly, the revised layout of spaces could present new security risks, particularly where multiple queues are created.
Consideration should be given to the following:. It is vital for staff to remain vigilant and act on potential security threats including terrorism and wider criminality. They should:. Worshippers should stay at least one metre apart and should not have close contact with anyone outside of their household. In circumstances where worshippers are less than two metres apart, other mitigations, such as good ventilation and the wearing of face coverings, are strongly recommended.
However, these details would help contact tracing if there was an outbreak within a place of worship. Places of worship should consider keeping a temporary record of visitors for 21 days but should seek consent from the visitor beforehand and ensure compliance with UK General Data Protection Regulations.
As COVID spreads less easily in a well ventilated environment, it is advisable to keep windows and doors open to improve air flow where possible. Opening windows and doors at opposite sides of a room will provide a good flow of fresh air this is known as cross ventilation. If possible, windows should be kept open to allow a constant flow of fresh air.
The weather can affect the amount of air that flows through openings and so these should be adjusted to balance warmth with the amount of ventilation, where possible. In colder weather, where it is not comfortable to leave windows open fully, opening the windows slightly can also provide ventilation and reduce cold drafts. Rooms used for worship and shared spaces and surfaces, such as doorways, should therefore be cleaned regularly and following every service.
In indoor spaces, the amount of virus in the air can build up, increasing the risk of spreading COVID The virus can remain in the air after an infected person has left. It is therefore important that rooms are well ventilated after people leave, by fully opening windows and doors to increase fresh air. Singing, playing musical instruments and chanted prayer are an important part of many religious services but can increase dispersal of the virus through aerosols and droplets.
This is especially the case at loud volumes. Where singing or chanting is deemed to be essential to an act of worship you should make sure it is done as safely as possible. You should:. There are no special measures or precautions recommended for the cleaning or disposal of individual cups beyond standard cleaning and disposal practices.
To minimise risk, there should be no sharing of the Peace through physical contact, and no shaking of hands. In rare circumstances where it is necessary, washing facilities within the place of worship should be used in line with social distancing guidelines and hygiene measures applied.
People should not wash the body parts of others. Vaccines for children aged and easing of christening restrictions among Cabinet plans.
Cabinet in discussions on latest easing of restrictions Children aged 12 to 15 could be offered vaccine as soon as next month Up to 50 people will be allowed in churches for christenings Cabinet also expected to agree to increase number of guests permitted at weddings to from August 5.
Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp. Facebook Twitter Email. Children aged 12 to 15 could be offered vaccine as soon as next month. Children aged 12 to 15 will be offered Pfizer and Moderna vaccines under the recommendation. Children will be required to get adult consent for a vaccination. The responsibility to observe the norm is a very serious obligation to ourselves and to those around you.
We are being asked to take measures to protect others, and that is a serious Christian responsibility. Priests should seriously reflect and take advice before undertaking any public ministry. No priest over 70 should feel obliged to undertake ministry. Any such ministry should be rare and only in circumstances that are considered essential. It is not simply about personally wanting to return to our ministry.
Close contact and above all face-to-face contact should be avoided this might include the administration of Holy Communion. Social distancing and hand hygiene should be scrupulously respected.
Visiting vulnerable people in their homes should to be avoided. Staying at home is still the basic advice. The question of the celebration this year of the Sacrament of Confirmation is uppermost in the thoughts and plans of many parishes. Families are anxious to have specific dates. At the moment, Confirmation is linked largely to Sixth Class in Catholic primary schools, although in the Archdiocese of Dublin there is now a very large number of Catholic children who do not attend Catholic schools and are prepared for the Sacraments by a catechist chosen by parents in cooperation with the parish.
As the year progresses, it is going to be increasingly difficult to contact families about Confirmation. I have already suggested that parishes should be sure to have up-to-date lists of the names and addresses of parents who have applied for their children to be confirmed so that they can be contacted in the weeks and months ahead. This year, August may become a high point for family holidays and some children, catechists and teachers may not be readily available.
It will not be possible to hold the traditional large Confirmations for each parish or school. Indeed, with whatever social distancing norms are in place at the time, the numbers who will be able to attend an individual Confirmation ceremony will be reduced and this means that a series of separate ceremonies will have to be planned. In some cases this number may be larger than one would at first imagine.
This will happen at a time when we are already suggesting that people be encouraged to attend weekday rather than just Sunday Mass. This will constitute a considerable burden on some parishes. Although it is highly desirable that Confirmation be celebrated within Mass, it may take place outside Mass. At the moment, there is considerable difference of opinion among priests about the best time to celebrate Confirmations and about how to manage numbers and there are many requests for guidance.
I am not anxious to impose a one- size-fits-all procedure for all parishes and I know that some flexibility is needed. We do however need a period of time after 29 June, when Churches reopen for public worship, to observe how the situation is evolving and allow the new reality settle in. Confirmations should not begin before the middle of July and should where possible should be completed by Mid-October.
Personally I do not feel that rushing Confirmations just in order to get them done will be the best experience for the children involved. Each Parish will plan and carry out the administration of Confirmation.
This authorization — which will be willingly granted by me — must be requested for each ceremony. A single application should be made through the Chancellery listing all the dates for which delegation is requested.
While social distancing allows households who live together to be seated alongside each other in a Church bench, it would not be correct to identify such a group simply as one person. Social distancing requires also that the overall numbers attending in Church must be manageable in terms of the Framework norms. For some time in the future, there will be limitations on large indoor gatherings. How might we limit attendance?
Some suggest limiting the number to the parents, one sponsor and the candidate. Others suggest a specific number per family. We should not overlook the fact that confirmation is a family occasion, especially for grandparents. In the future, the celebration of confirmation will be very much the responsibility of each parish and not simply of the school.
The current pandemic will be an interesting occasion for us to come to understand exactly the level of responsibility that will be falling on parishes in the future and the need to build up teams of volunteer catechists in each parish.
I am open to any suggestions or requests that individual parishes may wish to bring up. As we gain some experience it may be necessary to be more prescriptive. You will find below the Check List that each parish should complete and return at the latest early next week. Where it is not possible to ensure the measures indicated, then you should wait until this is possible before opening.
Failure to respect public health norms could have consequences for your insurance cover. Some of the preparations are onerous.
I believe that there is a willingness on the part of parish communities to provide support to their priests in this regard. The Diocesan Finance Secretariat has already provided indications about bulk buying of resources.
In the next few days, I hope to provide some more concrete support to assist with local training. The Diocesan Finance Secretariat will provide more detailed suggestions regarding secure means for receiving contributions.
Cooperation between Churches in the same grouping or neighbouring parishes would be helpful in publicising a roster of Mass times throughout the week to reduce the risk of too many people presenting at any one time.
In all our communications we must require full respect for norms. The norms however should not blind us from what is more important: our overall attitude should be one of joyful anticipation of our parish community being able to begin a new moment in the faith life and renewal of our parishes.
Each parish needs to be able to stand over that all the necessary pre-opening tasks have been completed. If not, this may have implications regarding your insurance coverage. If your church is not ready, then wait until you are fully ready before opening. It may not be possible for all Churches to reopen. While parishes are putting much effort into the preparation of Church buildings for their reopening for public worship on 29 June, we also have to begin the wider reflection on the future of Church life for the months to come.
In the short term, we have to reflect on the celebration of the Eucharist in the current phase of safe distancing. One of the essential dimensions of the Mass is that of gathering and coming together as a faith community. At the Eucharistic Congress in , we celebrated the Eucharist as Communion with Christ and Communion with one another. Watching the televised transmission of Mass in other countries, including that of Pope Francis this morning, it is obvious that safe distancing makes a feeling of communion and community more difficult.
In these early days, liturgies will have to be celebrated with care. In the first case it would be helpful to remember those in the parish who have died since public worship was suspended, either through the Coronavirus or otherwise. They could be remembered in special prayers or lists of those who died could be placed in a prominent place.
Distancing could also lead to a deeper reflection on silence in the liturgy. It might even be the occasion to ask people to remain silent for a period before Mass begins in order to create a sense of prayerfulness. It is advisable that ceremonies should not be prolonged unnecessarily. Homilies should be short and unnecessary interruptions reduced. All this will require attention to detail and a parish liturgy team could provide help. There is no reason not to involve deacons, readers, cantors or Eucharistic ministers, once they fulfil the health conditions regarding safe distancing and face covering.
In these early weeks, there will be many who will not be able to or who may not wish to come to Church. Each parish should reflect on how Holy Communion can be brought to them in a worthy and prayerful manner. Holy Communion is not a commodity to be just delivered. The Church has a long tradition of bringing the Eucharist to the sick directly from the Eucharistic celebration.
A short prayer service will be provided in the next few days to assist in this regard. In the longer term, as has been a challenge for some time, parishes must find ways to become focal points for faith formation of people of all ages, especially for our young people.
We will have the opportunity to put this into practice as we prepare for the Confirmation of young people, who in many cases will have already left primary school. I have asked Donal Harrington and the Catechetical Team to prepare supports for parishes and the Bishops Conference will provide three videos to help in the final preparation for Confirmation. Pope Francis has constantly stressed that while it is important for Churches to be open so that believers can gather, it is equally important that people go out through the same doors and bear witness to the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ to the society in which we live.
Crosscare is intensifying its services especially of food to a growing number of people. These difficult days have shown a great willingness of people to look out for and reach out to those who need a helping hand. Each parish should be alert to the growing challenge of loneliness, isolation and stress being felt and look at ways they can help build community. Yesterday Pope Francis announced Stretch forth your hand to the poor as the theme for the World Day of the Poor to be held on 15 November next.
After my update yesterday, I have been asked to provide more information regarding the plan which each parish is to prepare and send to me. We are working on a simple check list which will be sent out early next week and which asks each parish to confirm that certain tasks have been undertaken. It is important to remember that each parish needs to be able to stand over what task have been completed. If not, this may have implications regarding insurance coverage. I have also been asked about the possibility of priests over 70 in good health resuming active ministry.
An important yet delicate task for each parish to consider how to manage situations in which more people present for Mass than the Church is authorised to accommodate. In some cases, outdoor loudspeakers could transmit Mass to those who remain outside, and they could also be ministered to at Communion time.
Each parish need to find ways of communicating to parishioners from Sunday 21 st June at the latest that attendance will be limited and to encourage people to attend on weekdays and not just Sundays.
Today I would like to provide some advice about physical preparation of Churches and signage. Outside the Church : The doors of Churches should carry a sign that indicates the maximum number of people that a Church can contain under save distancing norms. A similar notice should appear at sacristies indicating the number of people who may be present in the sacristy at any given time.
Ground level markings outside Church entrances should indicate save distancing positions for queuing and overflow attendance. There should be an indication of which doors are entry only and which exit only. Entrance doors should also carry a notice regarding hand sanitizer. Inside the Church : A sufficient number of hand sanitizers should be present at each entrance.
The number of sanitizers should be sufficient to facilitate a reasonable free flow and not cause undue delay. A sign on each bench should indicate where people should kneel and a warning to keep the required distance. At the moment, the required distance is 2 meters. This may change, but until any change is announced, we must observe the current norm. Arrows should mark the single direction in which people would be required to move on entry and towards exits. To facilitate access to Holy Communion markings should indicate how to maintain correct distance while queuing.
In addition to commercially provided signs, simple tapes could be used as markers. Where space in the Sanctuary is limited then space in nearby seats should be reserved, as there should be no processions. I hope each day to provide an update on how parishes should be carrying out preparations for the return to Public Worship in our Churches planned for 29 June. I know that in most parishes, preparations are well underway but it can be useful to receive reminders and check lists.
With the Diocesan Liturgical Resource Centre, we are preparing a more detailed document to complement the general Framework. Each parish should have a core parish team to monitor and supervise progress. This core group should not be too large, but should coordinate the contribution of such people as priests, deacons, full time parish workers, sacristans, representatives of the Parish Pastoral Council and parish liturgy groups.
Its first task is to identify a clear parish plan. This should be completed by the end of next week and sent in signed copy to me. Next, it should work out a plan to recruit volunteers who will be needed to ensure that the management of the reopened Churches functions as it should. In general volunteers will be needed for stewarding, both inside and outside the Church.
Someone will have to monitor an adequate supply of materials needed, including for signage and sanitizing. Volunteers will be needed to supervise cleaning after each service. It will be necessary to indicate the maximum number of people who can enter the Church with safe social distancing including people with special needs. The plan should examine how to limit entry to that number and how to manage if numbers exceed what is safe. The weeks since the imposition of lockdown have been difficult weeks.
We have had to impose severe restrictions on Church life that have caused suffering for all of us. Our parishes have however reacted in so many creative ways to animate Church life within the experience of lockdown and bring comfort to people.
I thank all our parishes for what they have done. Now we face a new stage. Our response has to be based on the same two actions: strict adherence to the norms of public health and renewed creativity as we embrace our congregations with a renewed enthusiasm.
The document will be published later today. It was decided however that it should be sent to priests and parishes in advance. This is a General Framework document and it will be for each diocese to put flesh on it and adapt it to local situations.
There is however enough guidance in the Framework to enable each parish to move forward with the preparations which are already in many cases underway. In cooperation with the Diocesan Liturgical Resource Centre, over the next few days I will provide more detailed and specific suggestions for the Archdiocese of Dublin.
I would also be interested in hearing the views of parishes on the celebration of Confirmation and First Holy Communion in the coming months. In general, the celebration of Confirmation will be delegated to the local Parish Priest. Social distancing will mean that the numbers who will be able to attend any individual ceremony will be greatly reduced and thus will involve multiple ceremonies. After the end of primary school term, candidates for confirmation will be moving on to secondary schools, often distant from their current parish.
It is important that parishes make sure to have lists of the names and addresses of candidates so that contact can be made with their parents.
The Episcopal Conference is preparing three short videos will be available to parishes and be used as final preparation before reception of the sacraments. Once again, I thank our parishes for what has been achieved under difficult situations.
We should move forward now with enthusiasm and prudence. Be ready to open on that date which will be indicated; if you are not ready, do not open until you are; if it is not possible to fulfil the conditions, do not reopen. Opening doors once again is just one step in the challenge of renewal. We face many new challenges and opportunities and I believe that we have learned many lessons during this lockdown which will help us face the future with hope.
As we look forward in joy and hope to the re-opening of our churches for the celebration of Mass and the Sacraments, we offer this Framework Document [see below] to the dioceses and parishes of Ireland. The purpose of this document is to assist priests and people in their own preparations and to help ensure that the re-opening of our churches for public worship happens in a safe and measured way. We realise that, given the rich variety of our church buildings and communities, the Framework will need to be adapted to suit differing situations on the ground.
However, as our document states:. No church should be opened for public prayer or worship until satisfactory arrangements, as indicated in this Framework, have been put in place. This Framework has been developed in the light of extensive consultation across the dioceses of Ireland and we are very grateful to all who contributed thoughts, comments and suggestions. The document also takes cognisance of the most up-to-date public health advice and associated regulations and obligations.
At our meetings this week we have been keeping in our prayers all who have been affected by COVID in our country and throughout the world. We are especially conscious of the pain and loss felt by so many grieving families. We acknowledge with immense gratitude the skill and courage of our medical professionals and carers. We appreciate deeply the prayers, sacrifice and perseverance of all our faithful.
We greatly admire the efforts of the many parishioners who have generously volunteered in charitable outreach to the elderly, vulnerable and marginalised. At the end of the month we hope to slowly and cautiously resume public worship in our churches, knowing that it can only happen in a limited way.
We will still need patience, perseverance and self-sacrifice. The prescriptions contained in this Framework Document will only be effective if we have the generous support of volunteers who will help to plan, implement and manage the transition back to full parish life and the celebration of the sacraments. In this regard we appeal particularly to the younger members of our parishes. Their energy, creativity and enthusiasm are gifts that our communities need now more than ever, since some of our older generation may be unable to offer their normal help in the current circumstances.
We are also very conscious of the demands that this transition will place upon our priests, many of whom may still need to remain shielded from the virus. Together with Pastoral Councils and the support of laity, priests have risen to the challenges presented by the recent restrictions, often in innovative and creative ways, and with great generosity of spirit together with enduring commitment to the faith communities they serve.
We hope that the return of communal worship will give new heart to our priests and parishes and that, in spite of the inevitable limitations to our celebrations, we may all be confirmed in faith and in our ministry. For our families, our domestic churches, this has been a difficult time, especially in homes where the joyful celebrations of First Communion, Confirmation and other sacraments had been happily anticipated.
It is our hope that in each diocese arrangements can be put in place to celebrate these sacraments as soon as practicable, albeit in ways that will be influenced by whatever restrictions may still be necessary for the protection of all. The resumption of public worship should not mean simply going back to where we were before. We have been through testing times, but these months have opened up new possibilities for the future mission of the Church. This crisis has much to say to us about ourselves as a community of faith, about our identity and our way forward.
We earnestly hope that what we have learned — as individuals, in the domestic churches of our family homes, and as ministers of Charity, Word and Sacrament — will enrich the life of our Church and increase the joy of our celebrations as the doors of our churches open slowly once more.
Framework Document for a return to the public celebration of Mass and the Sacraments. This document is intended to support dioceses and parishes in their own preparations for a return to the public celebration of Mass and the sacraments and may be supplemented at diocesan level.
These guidelines should be read in conjunction with return to work protocols and insurance advice. Diocesan bishops are encouraged to put in place appropriate mechanisms for the implementation and verification of the guidelines. However, in all circumstances the safety and health of people, ministers, and priests must be paramount. It is most important that people who are vulnerable or unwell, and especially those with any symptoms that might suggest Covid infection, should stay at home and, if possible, participate, as now, via webcam, social media, television, or radio.
The same applies to those who have been in recent contact with someone who has the virus, in accordance with public health advice. The following steps should be undertaken in each parish to ensure that the preparations in each church are efficiently and effectively planned. Dioceses and parishes should at all times follow the most up-to-date public health advice and associated regulations and obligations.
To reduce the risk of transmission of Covid, public health advice emphasises the importance of strict adherence to physical distancing, good hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, and regular cleaning and sanitising of shared spaces. Public health authorities advise that people should maintain physical distance from each other currently at least 2 metres. In our churches this will mean that the maximum number of people who can be accommodated for any communal prayer or liturgy will be much reduced.
The demands of physical distancing will also need to be considered in relation to people entering the church and leaving it. The following checklist is offered to assist dioceses and parishes in ensuring that physical distancing can be observed in our churches:. While each person has individual responsibility for following advice on hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, the church environment should itself be as safe as any enclosed public space.
The following checklist is offered to assist dioceses and parishes in maintaining the standard of hygiene required in our churches at the present time. Each Diocese should plan for the clear and effective communication of all necessary protocols and procedures to all parishes in the Diocese. Related posts. From 6 th September. Subject to appropriate protective measures including social distancing as much as possible, hand sanitising, face masks etc. All other measures designed to minimise necessary physical interaction during services should be maintained.
From 22 nd October. Move to Level 3 on Tuesday Open with protective measures eg: social distancing, one-way traffic in venue, removal of communal prayer items for up to 50 worshippers. Separate sub groups may be permitted, where premises allow for greater capacity of 50 with additional protective measures see guidelines. Special Concession for Places of Worship to reopen at Level 3 in light of upcoming Christmas period Open with protective measures eg: social distancing, face coverings, one-way traffic in venue, removal of communal prayer items, stewards to assist for up to 50 worshippers.
Separate sub groups may be permitted, where premises allow for greater capacity of 50 with additional protective measures see guidance. Up to 50 mourners can attend For full details please see Bereavement Guidelines updated Weddings Regardless of Venue. All Counties of Ireland move to Level 5 at midnight Wednesday
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