For all parishioners
The Bishops are advising that parishioners who are most vulnerable (elderly, people with weakened immune systems and long-term conditions like cancer, diabetes and heart disease) refrain from large parish gatherings and stay at home until the virus threat ends. (However, please feel free to ring Fr Charles for advice, support.)
We ask everyone attending Mass to sanitise their hands as they come into church using sanitized gel dispensers available as you come to the main aisle. The best way of protecting us from spread is still for everyone to use universal good hygiene, which will effectively disrupt spread of the virus.
- Catch it – sneeze into a tissue
- ii. Bin it – bin the tissue
- iii. Kill it – wash your hands with soap and water.
- iv. Do not touch your face unless you’ve washed your hands.
3 During this period we will refrain from the physical sign of peace and taking communion from the Chalice. So please receive the host (continued)……on the hand only. (We should be doing this anyway, every ‘flu season.) Lay ministers are asked not to touch peoples’ hands when giving communion.
4 Ensure good regular cleaning of surfaces lots of people touch regularly, including such things as door handles. We will be cleaning main door handles and surfaces before and after mass.
5 We ask anyone with cold or flu symptoms to refrain from attending Mass or devotions, public events, or from attending the sacrament of reconciliation if symptomatic (They may have an ordinary cold but equally it is important to ensure a precautionary approach).
6 We are suspending tea and coffee after Mass until further notice and also at any larger gatherings. The advice is to avoid tea and coffee where mutliple people pass around cups, biscuits, plates etc,.