The Revd Gethin Rhys, Policy Officer of Cytûn: Churches together in Wales, has circulated an update on the latest position in relation to COVID-19 and places of worship in Wales, which we reproduce with his permission. 

Speaking in the Senedd on Wednesday, 10 June, First Minister Mark Drakeford said at para 110:

“We raised the matter on 29 April in the faith communities forum, with leaders of faith communities in Wales, about the reopening of venues for private prayer. At that point, the firm advice from leaders of those communities was that it wasn’t practical for them to be able to reopen those venues in a way that is safe. I attended the last meeting of the faith communities forum last week. An enormous amount of work has gone on by those communities to put themselves in a position where they could now potentially reopen venues for private prayer. I was very impressed by all the practical things that they had thought about and were putting into place and we will consider that very seriously as we move to the end of the current three-week cycle.”

No further announcement is expected until Friday, 19 June. But following further discussions, the Welsh Government has agreed that it would be timely to draw the attention of those responsible for places of worship to guidance which is already in the public domain, which in due course may be useful to those who wish to arrange the re-opening of places of worship, once that is permitted, and should they wish to do so. Not all guidance will be relevant to all buildings or situations, but we believe that being in possession of this information will allow building managers to begin preparatory work if they so wish.

Useful resources

• Working safely during coronavirus.
• Working safely in offices and similar environments.
• Health & Safety Executive Risk assessment guidance.
• COVID workforce risk assessment tool: there are plans to create versions that could be used in other settings, however, this will give you a good starting point.
• Cleaning guidance for non-healthcare settings.
• Statutory guidance on taking all reasonable measures to maintain physical distancing in the workplace and supplementary guidance.
  
• Test, trace, protect: information and Q&A about Test, Trace, Protect.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Face coverings – frequently asked questions: Making a 3 layer face covering.
• Travelling.
• Self-isolation and staying at home.
• Protective measures to be taken in childcare settings.

A digest of all the current guidance and Frequently Asked Questions can be found here.