Corona Virus procedures at St Aidan’s
13th March 2020
St Aidan’s is following all guidance given by the Government and the Church of England.
This is updated and changed regularly, and can be checked on the church of England web-site.
Let us all pray for those making decisions nationally, and seek to support vulnerable friends and neighbours at this time.
As of 13th March, the Tuesday ‘Gentle’ armchair exercise group, and the Friday Centre Drop-in are suspended until further notice. All church services will still be held.
At services we are following advice given such as:
- Communion will be offered in one kind only to all communicants i.e. the consecrated wafer, with the priest alone taking the wine.
- Suspension of handshaking or other direct physical contact.
- Suspension of direct physical contact as part of a blessing or “laying on of hands”.
- Those attending the Eucharist in particular to sanitise their hands as they come into church, using sanitized gel dispensers.
- Ministers of the Eucharist will sanitise their hands before and after distributing communion.
- Suspension of catering (teas, coffees etc.) at all functions, so no refreshments after services.
- Collection plates will not be passed around, but available by the entrance to church.
- The General advice to follow is important for us all:
- Everyone to maintain good hygiene at all gatherings, whether services or other occasions.
- Hand gel provided at entrance and there is a good supply of soap or hand gel in cloakrooms and kitchens
- The best way of protecting us from spread is for everyone to use universal good hygiene – this means everyone, all the time, which will effectively disrupt spread of the virus. So:
- Catch it– sneeze into a tissue
- Bin it– bin the tissue
- Kill it– wash your hands with soap and water
- Do not touch your face unless you’ve washed your hands