There will be no church services for just under a month, starting from Thursday 5th November and due to end Wednesday 2nd December, reports Premier.
The Prime Minister did not mention Places of Worship in his Downing Street briefing but did say: “From Thursday until the start of December, you must stay at home. You may only leave home for specific reasons.”
Clarification came from guidance on the Government’s website afterwards which said:
“Places of Worship will be closed, unless they are being used for:
- Funerals
- To broadcast acts of worship
- Individual prayer
- Formal childcare or where part of a school
- Essential voluntary and public services, such as blood donation or food banks
- Other exempted activities such as some support groups”
The omission of any information about religious gatherings at the press conference caused many church leaders and members to express their frustration that faith communities did not have their vital questions addressed while the hospitality sector and leisure industry were told how the lockdown would impact them.
With the information about the national lockdown leaked to journalists early, the announcement was suddenly made on Saturday evening as opposed to Monday.
The lockdown, announced by Boris Johnson on Saturday, will include four Sundays.
