Update on COVID mitigation measures in our Churches

As promised the Wardens and I met on Monday to review our COVID measures in the light of the significant drop in infections within South Gloucestershire over the past 10 days. As a result we feel that some relaxation of our COVID measures is now appropriate. In particular, we feel that the time has come to reintroduce singing in our churches and to allow tea and coffee to be served after the service. For the time being we will be encouraging people to sit while drinking their tea/ coffee and we will continue to encourage the wearing of masks during services, although we won't insist on it.

In St. Mary's and St. Nix, where the chairs have been rearranged to ensure social distancing, we will gradually be restoring the traditional seating pattern, but will also designate two zones: one for those who would prefer to remain socially distanced and be at a distance from those who are singing and the other for those who feel more confident about mixing with others and with singing. In this way we hope that we can we can meet the needs and expectations both of those who feel more secure in this post-vaccine environment and those who feel that they need more time before relaxing their social distancing.

We will continue to provide Communion in one kind only (i.e. just the wafers) and The Peace will remain 'contactless' for the time-being. Also we would like to remind everyone that it remains important to stay at home of you are feeling unwell until your COVID status has been confirmed.

Hopefully this relaxation will help to restore a greater sense of normality in our churches and encourage those who have missed the singing to return to church. Harvest Festival is only weeks away and it would be good to be able to celebrate that feast in song as well as words.