Until then, however, churches and other places of worship can only open for private prayer and must be “Covid-secure” in any event. The Government recently published guidance for the safe use of places of worship during the pandemic, which church leaders may wish to consider as places of worship begin to reopen.
Preparing for reopening
As outlined in our earlier briefing, (Churches: Time to open the door safely) churches have an obligation under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to ensure the health and safety of their employees and members of the public who attend their properties or are affected by their activities. Compliance with the Government’s new guidance will be a strong indicator that an organisation is complying with its health and safety obligations.
Before reopening, churches should complete a rigorous Covid-19 risk assessment, as set out in our previous e-briefing, to cover their reopening and all planned activities. The Church of England has published a helpful risk assessment template. The assessment will need to carefully consider the risks posed to those who enter churches to prepare for reopening and arising from buildings remaining unused, in addition to the risks arising from Covid-19.
The guidance makes clear that church staff, volunteers and contractors may enter the church building in order to prepare it for reopening. That preparation may include essential maintenance and repairs, in particular where this is identified as necessary during the reopening risk assessment. A thorough cleaning of the building will also need to take place before reopening and then at regular intervals once open. The guidance suggests that church leaders consider the frequency of regular cleaning in the risk assessment.
Church leaders may also wish to carry out the following actions recommended by the guidance:
Churches will also need to consider how to communicate the measures that will be implemented in the church to potential visitors in an accessible way: for example, making a large print version of any communication available. Where possible, arrangements should be made to ensure that those attending are aware in advance of the measures that they will be required to follow.
What is and what isn’t allowed?
The guidance is clear that collective communal prayer is not permitted yet, and this includes a Minister of Religion or lay person leading prayer. Until 4 July, an individual and their household must pray alone and should be socially distanced from others from different households.
The guidance advises churches not to make any food or drink available and to close any shared washing areas. Activities such as singing and playing instruments are not permitted by the guidance, though it does make an exception for organists, who can use church buildings for practice where appropriate social distancing is maintained.
Though it is advised that communal resources such as bibles and service sheets are removed from the church building, churches can provide single-use alternatives as long as these are removed by the worshipper after use.
Church leaders may also wish to discourage cash donations and welcome online giving and card payments where possible. If cash offerings continue to be made, it may be advisable to for church staff and volunteers to wear gloves when handling any notes or coins.
Shielding and Self-Isolating
The guidance re-emphasises the importance of protecting people who are clinically vulnerable and urges individuals who are shielding to follow Government advice for those in this category (this guidance has recently been altered). Anyone, including religious leaders, staff and volunteers, who displays symptoms of Covid-19 should stay at home and self-isolate.
Church leaders may wish to consider setting aside specific days or times when the church is open for individual prayer for vulnerable individuals only: for example, for those over 70.
For more information on health safety issues in churches, please contact Tim Coolican in our Regulatory team or Edwina Turner in our Charities team.
The Academies Financial Handbook is updated annually by the Department for Education and the Education and Skills Funding Agency; it contains a number of governance requirements for academy trusts.
Supreme Court publishes key decision for those working in the UK’s gig economy.
The 'Chocolate Snowman Appeal' is an amazing initiative that Anthony Collins Solicitors' (ACS) employees take part in every year.
The Building Safety Bill (the Bill) is said to be the most significant and wide-ranging change to the regulatory environment for higher risk building (HRBs) for over 45 years.
On 4 November 2020, the Restriction of Public Exit Payments Regulations 2020 (the Regulations) came into force; exit payments for the public sector were capped at £95,000.
The case was brought by the Official Receiver who sought disqualification orders under section 6 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 (CDDA 1986) against the seven trustees of Kids Company and its CEO. It illustrates well the tension between the role of a fulltime paid CEO of a large charity and the role of its board as voluntary trustees/directors.
At the end of 2020, The Charity Governance Code was updated or 'refreshed' as it is termed on its website.
Anthony Collins Solicitors is today (Thursday 11 February) revealing the scale of its social impact during 2020.
In their first podcast of this series, current and future trainees will discuss their journey and route to securing a training contract at Anthony Collins Solicitors.
A recent prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive ("HSE") demonstrates the importance of organisations regularly inspecting, maintaining, and if necessary, repairing or replacing street furnitur
To receive invitations to our events, as well as information and articles on legal issues and sector developments that are of interest to you, please sign up to Newsroom.