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| Restrictions on religious gatherings were relaxed further just last Jul 1 |
Most churches have again stopped holding public masses
in the wake of record increases in the number of coronavirus infections in Hong
Kong, most of them locally transmitted.
The move came as the government imposed the most
stringent regulations on public gatherings since the start of the outbreak in
Hong Kong in January. The new restrictions will last from Jul 15-28.
Among the first to announce the suspension of public
masses was the head of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong, Cardinal John Tong.
A notice published in the Chancery’s website quotes
the Cardinal as saying that:
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1) All
public masses will be suspended in all parish churches and affiliated chapels
as well as all other places (for example, the Catholic Centre in Central) where
regular Sunday and weekday public services are held. Other religious group
activities, except for weddings and funerals will likewise be suspended. For
weddings, no more than 20 people will be allowed to gather, during which no
food or drink will be served, while there is no restriction on the number of
participants for funerals.
2) Parish
churches and chapels will remain open for personal prayers by individuals, and
visits to the Blessed Sacrament. Individual visits to a church or chapel for
prayers are not considered as group gatherings, so there is no restriction on
their number.
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3) Precautionary
measures must, however, be taken during these individual visits: (a) a mask
must be worn throughout the visit; (b) body temperature must be taken; (c)
hands must be cleansed with sanitizer; (d) individuals must be at least 1.5
meter apart.
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| Public masses are again suspended for at least 2 weeks starting Jul 15 |
In place of attending public masses, worshippers are
urged to take part in online masses and receive the Holy Communion spiritually,
read the Sunday liturgy in the Bible, say the Rosary, or do other religious
reflections.
Baptisms or confirmations scheduled over the next two
weeks will be suspended, or reset to another date, depending on the public
health situation.
Several other churches have likewise announced the suspension
of public masses or services.
The move comes just two weeks after restrictions on
religious gatherings were relaxed to allow churches to fill up to 80% of their
usual capacity. For the entire month of June, they could only fill up to 50% of
their capacity.
But three months before this, or starting on Feb. 14, all
public religious gatherings were stopped during what is now regarded as the
first wave of coronavirus infections in Hong Kong.
