I write in great sadness …
1. The Prime Minister has announced the above. This is to all intents and purposes the same as Lockdown 1. The full details are posted here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home
2. Places of worship may, however, remain open to conduct regular worship, weddings in extreme circumstances, and funerals (subject to social distancing of 2m etc; see 5 below)
3. The Chapel has been closed to in-person and all Unitarian services since 20th December 2020, to give the Worship Group a break and to allow the Trustees to revisit the risk assessment and opening plan in light of Tier 4 and the Covid-19 variant which has now led to Lockdown 3. The Chapel is scheduled to have a virtual service of some sort on Sunday 10th (please await further details) at 11:30am and to re-open to in-person worship on 17th January at 11:30am. The Chairman and I await the Trustees views on the latter ASAP before 13th January. Should the Chapel nor re-open to in-person worship for the time being, I trust members and friends will understand and recall that we have hitherto remained open since the end of Lockdown 1 unlike most churches which, I pray, has made those of us who have taken this up to feel that less fatigued during what lays ahead.
4. The Chapel is also now closed to all groups with immediate effect, my having written to the only group (a church) still using the premises on the Chairman’s instruction earlier this evening . The Trustees will consider any application by this church, however, to continue using our premises during Lockdown 3. The group is sent a copy of this posting.
5. The guidelines on what churches can and cannot do are listed here in full: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-places-of-worship-during-the-pandemic-from-4-july
6. My e-mail is: minister@brixtonunitarians.org. My home number for you to use at any time between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday and at anytime in an emergency is: 0207 9282991.
Much love
Julian