England is to be placed under stricter nationwide restrictions from Thursday in an attempt to slow down the spread of coronavirus.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new measures just after confirmed COVID-19 cases passed the one million mark across the UK.
The new restrictions will initially be imposed from 0001 on 5 November until 2 December across the whole of England, with the plan to then ease them on a local and regional basis.
So what does this mean for our Churches?
- Private prayer allowed in places of worship, but no services or Mass
- Funerals allowed with close family members only
We are waiting for further guidelines to be issued from The Catholic Bishops’ Conference (England and Wales) when they issue guidelines and or a statement we will publish a new post.
Scotland has a four-tier system in place, with different areas under different levels of restriction.
Northern Ireland is under a four-week circuit breaker that started on 16 October.
Wales is under a two-week “firebreak” system that will end on 9 November.
This article has been updated to include a link to the Statement from the President and the Vice-President of the Bishops Conference on the Prime Minister’s Statement