The Government’s new “stay at home” rules that came into effect last night say “you can attend places of worship for a service” so long as social distancing rules are observed.
But a letter signed by four town hall bosses in north-east London and sent to faith leaders in the area calls for a temporary ban on “face-to-face meetings” for religious purposes.
The letter, written by Darren Rodwell of Barking & Dagenham council, Newham mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, Redbridge’s Jas Athwal, Waltham Forest’s Clare Coghill and Hackney’s Philip Granville, said the area was at “a critical moment.”
It says all services should be moved online with the exception of funerals. The call is backed by local faith leaders including the bishop of Barking, the Al Madina Mosque in Barking and Sikh Gurdwaras in Redbridge.
The letter adds: “None of us wants to see places of faith close but these are challenging times.”
