Covid-19 and St Alban's Church
Currently the church is open on Sundays for a socially distanced Mass that starts promptly at 10:00 a.m. When possible the service is also available live on Zoom and later as a recording on YouTube.
When attending the service:
- You are now required by law to wear a face covering over your nose and mouth at all times in the church, except when singing, even if you are fully vaccinated or have previously had Covid-19, unless you are exempted for medial reasons. We assume it is also permissible to remove your face covering when receiving communion.
- Please sanitize your hands on entering the church.
- Please go straight to your seat. The seats are marked in green for places where we would like you to sit and red for those that are less than 2 m away from other seats or standing places. Hymn books and service booklets are only provided for the green seats.
- We are not currently asking the congregation to complete track-and-trace forms, but we have a QR code displayed at the entrance for those who use the app.
- We encourage the congregation to retain their face masks if they sing the hymns or responses, to limit the projection of droplets dowards other households.
- Please follow the one-way system down the centre aisle for Communion and, if you have to queue, stand on the yellow arrows marked out on the floor to ensure you are separated from members of other households.
- Please sanitize your hands before and after receiving communion. Communion is currently given only as bread, which is placed on your hands by the priest. Please consume it immediately and return to your seat.
- We are currently unable to provide refreshments or allow the congregation to mingle in our hall after Mass.
- When leaving the church please don’t stand around in groups with less that 2m between bubbles. We all want to catch up with each other but please remember that it is still a risk to others as well as yourself to mingle with other households. It is safer to talk outside in the open air than inside the church.
By following all these rules we will minimise the risk of cross infection with Covid-19 while in the church.
For the present the Thursday and Saturday morning services remain suspended.
Please continue to protect others and yourself by:
- washing your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water or sanitising them with gel containing at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol;
- where possible maintaining 2m social distancing from others who are not part of your household or social bubble;
- wearing a face covering or mask in indoor spaces that are also used (not necessarily simultaneously) by others who are not part of your household or social bubble;
- meeting others outdoors or in well ventilated spaces where possible.
A Prayer for the Covid-19 Pandemic, from the Church of England:
Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy
in this time of uncertainty and distress.
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may rejoice in your comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
Further prayers from the Church of England for the Viral Pandemic here.