Guidance

Celebrating religious festivals during coronavirus (COVID-19)

Updated 16 June 2021

This guidance was withdrawn on 19 July 2021

This page has been withdrawn because it’s no longer current. Please read the latest step 4 guidance for the safe use of places of worship.

Applies to England

• Publication for Northern Ireland
• Publication for Scotland
• Publication for Wales

Celebrating religious festivals during coronavirus

It might be disappointing for people to be unable to celebrate religious festivals in the same ways as they usually would.

It is important to remember that the virus is still with us, and we need to do all we can to protect ourselves and our family and friends. Detailed government guidance may be difficult to apply to unique events and festivals. However, there are some key principles that can help organisers manage special religious services and gatherings safely.

This advice should be treated as a guide and used alongside the guidance for the safe use of places of worship and organised events guidance.

Celebrating religious festivals with family and friends, indoors and outdoors

From 17 May, you can meet up indoors with friends and family you do not live with either:

• in a group of up to 6 from any number of households (children of all ages count towards the limit of 6)
• in a group of any size from up to two households (a ‘household’ can include a linked support bubble, if eligible)

You can meet up outdoors, including in private gardens, with friends and family you do not live with:

• in a group of up to 30 from any number of households (children of all ages count towards this limit)

When celebrating religious festivals with friends and family, you should ensure you consider the risks around the transmission of the virus. Those risks increase whenever different households mix. You should familiarise yourself with the guidance on how to stop the spread of coronavirus.

If you are attending a place of worship:

• Follow the mitigations that your place of worship has put in place, for example using booking systems, changes to entrances and exits, and staggered arrivals.
• From 17 May, close contact with friends and family is a personal choice, but you are encouraged to exercise caution and minimise how many people you’re in close contact with, and for how long. You should always make space for other people to keep their distance if they want to.
• You must wear a face covering (unless you are exempt) when visiting a place of worship. This is the law. This also applies to many other indoor settings such as shops and public transport.
• You should provide your contact details to the place of worship to support the NHS Test and Trace service designed to track and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. This can be done through the NHS Test and Trace App or by an alternative method.
• Make sure only you touch your own belongings, for example your shoes if they have been removed.
• Take home any personal items brought in to aid worship, such as a prayer mat, prayer beads, or any ritual items associated with the festival.
• People should try to leave promptly after prayers/worship and must not mingle in groups larger than 6 individuals or 2 households indoors, or groups of 30 outdoors.

People who are symptomatic

Anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19 must self-isolate at home. Self-isolation means you must stay at home at all times and not have contact with other people, except in very limited circumstances, for example to seek medical assistance.

Anyone self-isolating should not attend a place of worship or grounds of an event (even if they remain in their vehicle throughout) and should not prepare food for others. Anyone self-isolating could consider any other available ways to mark the event, such as participating online.

If you or someone you’re with is clinically extremely vulnerable

There is separate guidance for those who are clinically extremely vulnerable. Clinically extremely vulnerable people are able to attend places of worship, but are advised to consider taking extra precautions to reduce risk of exposure to the virus and to follow the relevant guidance for them.

Key principles that venue managers should follow in a place of worship include, but are not limited to:

• Consider how you can change rituals that usually involve close contact and the use of shared items to minimise risks.
• If appropriate, you should reconfigure spaces to enable worshippers to be seated rather than standing which reduces the risk of contact.
• Consider broadcasting services online to avoid large gatherings.
• Ceremonies and services should be concluded in the shortest reasonable time. Once completed, participants should be encouraged to exit the premises promptly.
• Religious practices should be carried out in such a way which ensures social distancing can be maintained between different households. There should only be a closer distance when essential to enable a faith practice to be carried out (for example contact with the faith leader). Time spent in close contact should be kept to a minimum.
• Ensure attendees are aware of the need to wear a face covering, as required by law when attending indoor places of worship. Venue managers/event organisers may want to ensure they have spare face coverings available. There is additional guidance on the use of face coverings. There are valid exemptions for some individuals and groups to not wear a face covering in these settings. In particular, those who are leading permitted services or events in a place of worship, and those who assist them.
• Venue managers are strongly encouraged to follow the guidance for businesses on supporting NHS Test and Trace through keeping a temporary record of visitor contact details for 21 days and displaying an official NHS QR code poster. This could help to contain outbreaks of infection.
• Remove communal resources such as prayer mats or prayer books. Single use alternatives should be removed after use and disposed of by the worshipper.
• Speak into a microphone to lead devotions or sermons to avoid shouting, which can increase the risk of aerosol transmission. Avoid sharing microphones between different speakers.

Food and drink

For advice on food and drink, you should refer to the guidance for places of worship, alongside the hospitality guidance.

Celebrating in places other than your place of worship

For advice on celebrating religious festivals in a hospitality venue, you should see the guidance for people who work in or run restaurants, pubs, bars, cafes or takeaways.

From May 17, venues are allowed open indoors as well as outdoors, but people must adhere to social contact limits of up to 6 people or 2 households indoors and up to 30 people outdoors. (Unless another exemption exists, such as for organised sport or exercise, supervised activities for children or a significant life event such as a wedding reception).

You should also refer to government advice on how COVID-19 is spread and how to minimise the risks when meeting friends and family. If you are celebrating in a community facility, you should refer to the guidance for the safe use of multi-purpose community facilities.

Singing, chanting and the use of musical instruments

COVID-19 spreads from person to person through small droplets, aerosols and through direct contact. Singing, playing some musical instruments, shouting and physical activity increases the risk of transmission through small droplets and aerosols.

Where singing takes place, it should follow the principles of safer singing.

• Indoors: a group of up to 6 amateur singers can perform or rehearse for performance with social distancing being maintained at all times. There is no limit on the number of professional singers, but they should follow guidance on performing arts. Performances should take place at the front of the place of worship to a seated audience. Indoor communal singing should not take place.
• Outdoors: When worship takes place outdoors, the congregation may join in with singing in multiple groups of up to 30. Congregation members should continue to follow social distancing rules. For guidance on singing outdoors outside of acts of communal worship, please refer to the performing arts guidance

Singing should follow the principles of safer singing and the principles set out in the performing arts guidance. In particular:

• Where music plays a big part in worship, and recordings are available, we suggest you consider using these as an alternative to live singing or performing.
• Any instrument played during worship should be cleaned thoroughly before and after use.
• Any performers should be positioned in a way that avoids face-to-face performance, as far as possible.
• Limit the duration of any singing, as far as possible.
• If the event takes place indoors, improve ventilation to ensure plenty of fresh air whenever possible, including opening windows.
• Always ensuring there is a gap of at least 2m between any performers and the first row of worshippers. Further mitigations like screens or other barriers between the performers and worshipper may also be considered.
• If worship takes place inside, the congregation should not participate in any activity that can create aerosols, including communal singing, shouting and chanting. This follows the advice generally for the performing arts.