Government information for church re-opening - 13 May

On Sunday evening I, like millions of others across the country, sat and listened intently to the Prime Minister as he shared the daily briefing about COVID-19.

It was welcome to learn of a roadmap being created to help us return to, what we now call, a 'new normal'. Mr Johnson explained that this would take place in three steps, with the 4th July being the earliest point at which the third and final step could be taken in our collective recovery from the pandemic.

Following this welcome announcement on Sunday, the Government has provided detailed guidelines to explain what these three steps are and the targets that need to be achieved in order to take them.

Thanks to our membership of the Churches' Legislation Advisory Service (CLAS), we have been able to access the more detailed guidelines published, which affects churches, and share it with our members.

Please follow this link to view, Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government's COVID-19 recovery strategy

As you will see, the reopening of places of worship is explicitly mentioned as part of Step 3. Does this mean that Sunday 5th July will be our first Sunday back in church? Potentially.

However, there are two important considerations.

First, the date of Step 3 is ambitious and based on a best-case scenario. Over the coming weeks, data relating to new cases of COVID-19, deaths and the all-important 'R' number, will have a massive impact on when we move from Step 1 to Step 2, potentially delaying the final phase of the Government's recovery strategy.

Second, for the foreseeable future, we will not be able to conduct church services like we did before lockdown.

The guidelines make it clear that buildings will need to be made "COVID-19 Secure". We are not yet clear exactly what this means, and it is likely to evolve based on new data about the spread of the virus, but we can assume that social distancing, handwashing, face coverings and the disinfecting of shared surfaces are likely to be included. Guidance and restrictions will also vary depending on the type of building used for worship, such as sites with shared use.

So in response, we recommend that CiC member churches continue to maintain and develop their online activities, and keep in close contact with us as we seek to interpret the advice from Westminster as it arrives and share it with you.

To help do this, Trevor Howard and I are hosting an online meeting for our church leaders on Tuesday 26 May at 1100, at which we will explore church meetings post-COVID-19 in more detail.

Click here to register for our Church Leaders Online Meeting →

In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or require additional support.

It's our privilege and joy to serve you in this season.

Yours in Christ,

Paul Garratt
International Coordinator
CiC International