COVID-19 UPDATE – Monday, March 16, 2020
The current COVID-19 crisis has presented us with a dramatic and rapidly changing challenge, unlike any that most of us have faced in our lifetimes. We address this as a community of believers in Jesus Christ, with faith and hope, and with special concern for the common good and for the vulnerable members of our families and church community.
As the process of discernment around our responses to the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the Archdiocese of Regina presents this latest update.
Recent statements from national, provincial and local governing bodies and health authorities require the following steps to be taken:
- All gatherings of over 250 people are prohibited until further notice. The earlier exemption for faith communities was removed today.
- It is strongly recommended, in the interest of providing the best protection for the most vulnerable in our communities, that gatherings of more than 50 persons should not occur.
- If smaller group gatherings do take place the following persons should not attend:
– persons travelling from places where community or travel transmission of the virus is taking place;
– those with compromised immune systems or other health issues that put them at greater risk should infection occur.
We are also pondering other recommendations from health authorities, suggesting that the following persons not attend public gatherings:
– professional groups whose infection may put others at risk (ie. healthcare workers);
– the elderly; and
– those at greater risk of spreading the virus (such as young children).
Our civil governing bodies have also recommended that if persons can work from home, they ought to do so.
In the coming days the Archbishop is going to issue a dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass; details to follow.
Of primary concern is the care for those in our communities that are most at risk. This ‘preferential option for the vulnerable’ is a key component of our discernment process. Over the next couple of days, we will be engaging in more intense consultations with health officials, other dioceses and eparchies, and our pastors regarding specific guidelines for our parishes, including the possibility of temporary suspension of Masses. While divergent options are being presented and many are expressing strong views as to what next steps should be taken, we are weighing information and values, including the potential saving of lives and the importance of sustaining our faith as we live through this crisis.
As we reflect on various options in responding to the spread of COVID-19, we found the following Washington Post analysis helpful in grasping the possible effects of our decisions as individuals and collectively. It can be viewed here:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/
We remain united in prayer and in trust in our loving God as we ponder what further steps should be taken. A further update and directives will be issued in the coming days.
For ongoing updates, please say our dedicated COVID-19 Updates Page
