Covid update 9 August 2021
There are some further updates:
Children & Face Coverings: those under 12 are now no longer obliged to wear face coverings in church (or anywhere else).
Funerals & Weddings: any numbers can now attend and there are no special precautions to be followed. We can return to normal practice for these celebrations, as long as we follow the general rules on face coverings, track-&-trace, sanitising hands, and cleaning.
Bishops’ Advice: the advice from the bishops has not changed and so we should still avoid shaking hands at the sign of peace, avoid distributing Communion from the Chalice, avoid using confession boxes, and avoid holy water stoops at the door.
Government Guidance: the Government have withdrawn most of their specific guidance (e.g. about weddings and funerals) and replaced it with generic advice. You can find this at https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-safe-and-protecting-others/ and its worth reading through it to get an idea of the principles that we should be applying.