Hygiene
On entering and leaving a place of worship, everyone, including staff, should be asked to wash their hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds using soap and water or to use hand sanitiser if hand washing facilities are not available. Public Health England posters should be displayed to build awareness of good handwashing technique, the need to increase handwashing frequency, avoid touching your face and to cough or sneeze into a tissue which is binned safely, or into the crook of your sleeved arm if a tissue is not available. You should provide hand sanitiser in multiple locations in addition to toilet facilities and appropriate bins.
Cleaning
All surfaces, especially those most frequently touched such as door handles and rails, should be regularly cleaned using standard cleaning products. Sufficient time needs to be allowed for this cleaning to take place, particularly before reopening for the first time. Frequently used objects, surfaces or spaces, including for example doorways between outside and inside spaces should be given particular attention when cleaning.
For more information and guidance about opening up your church building check out our recent briefing paper ‘Coming out of Covid-19 – opening up church buildings for worship’
