No further restrictions on public religious services: Consultation between Romania’s faith leaders and government

Recommendations for practical application of measures provided in the Common Order of the Minister of Health no 1103/17.06.2020 and Minister of Internal Affairs no 95/17.06.2020, ratified by the State Secretariat for Religious Affairs

Recommendations for practical application of measures provided in the Common Order of the Minister of Health no. 1103/17.06.2020 and Minister of Internal Affairs no. 95/17.06.2020, ratified by the State Secretariat for Religious Affairs, regarding the approval of rules for access to places of worship, minimum safety distancing and other specific sanitary measures during religious services.

I. General rules for religious worship activities

II. Rules regarding access to  places of worship and minimum distance of safety

III. Rules regarding sanitary protection, access to places of worship and minimum distance of safety for individual prayer and private religious services

IV. Rules regarding sanitary protection, access to worship places and minimum distance of safety for collective (public) religious services

I. General rules for religious worship activities

1. Religious activities are freely organized according to statutory and doctrinal provisions of each faith community, by respecting sanitary recommendations in force to limit the SARS-Cov-2 virus spread.
2. Religious activities can be organized inside the place of worship, outside it or both inside and outside, by respecting the minimum safety distance of 2 meters inside and 1.5 meters outside.
3. The participants at the religious services will disinfect hands with an alcohol-based disinfecting solution.
4. Protection mask-wearing covering mouth and nose is compulsory inside and outside the places where religious services are held.
5. Minor children cand participate with their parents in special places organized inside or outside the place of worship respecting the minimum safety distance from other participants.
6. Mask-wearing is not compulsory for clerical and non-clerical staff officiating the religious service.
7. Clerical and non-clerical staff, directly or through their mandataries, will make sure the participants respect the minimum safety distance and adequate mask-wearing during the collective (public) worship services.
8. Clerical and non-clerical staff, directly or through their mandataries, will ensure periodical disinfection of objects and surfaces frequently touched during religious activities (doorknobs, bannisters, chairs etc).
9. Faith communities (religious denominations, religious associations and other associations and foundations with religious purposes), according to their statutory and faith provisions, will establish their own norms to accommodate religious life within the general framework designed to combat the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

II. Rules regarding access to places of worship and minimum distance of safety

1. Places of worship will remain open for individual prayer and for both individual (private) and collective (public) religious services, according to a schedule established by the faith community (religious denominations, religious associations and other associations and foundations with religious purposes).
2. Access will be permitted to the faithful who do not display symptoms of respiratory infection (coughing, sneezing, rhinorrhea).
3. Access of the faithful within the place of worship and to the locations where individual (private) religious services are officiated will be limited so as to ensure a minimum area of 4 square meters for each person and a minimum social distance of 2 meters between participants.
4. Participants will disinfect their hands with an alcohol-based disinfecting solution at the entrance of the public place of worship or at the entrance of the location where individual (private) worship is held.
5. Announcements will be visibly displayed in places where private religious services are held. The announcements will list the rules regarding minimum social distance and access rules.
6. Clerical and non-clerical staff, directly or through their mandataries, will make sure participants respect the minimum safety distance and adequate mask-wearing inside and outside the worship place.

III. Rules regarding sanitary protection, access to places of worship and minimum distance of safety for individual prayer and individual (private) religious services

1. Private religious services (baptism, wedding, funeral etc) may be officiated both inside and outside the place of worship by respecting the minimum social distance of 2 meters between participants inside and 1.5 meters outside.
2. The faithful present inside the place of worship for individual prayer will keep the minimum social distance of 2 meters.
3. Clerical and non-clerical staff, directly or through their mandataries, will make sure participants to individual prayer or to the individual (private) religious services respect the minimum safety distance and adequate mask-wearing.
4. Clerical and non-clerical staff, directly or through their mandataries, will ensure periodical disinfection of objects and surfaces (doorknobs, bannisters, chairs etc) frequently touched during individual prayer and private religious services.
5. Religious services will be officiated at the residence of the faithful by respecting the minimum social distancing of 2 meters and adequate mask-wearing.
6. Clerical and non-clerical staff, directly or through their mandataries, will ensure periodical disinfection of objects and surfaces during services officiated at the residence of the faithful.
7. In the quarantined communities, private religious services (baptism, wedding, funeral etc) can have a maximum of 20 participants (which includes the staff officiating the service), regardless whether they are being officiated inside or outside the place of worship.

IV. Rules regarding sanitary protection, access to places of worship and minimum distance of safety for collective (public) religious services

1. Collective religious services can be officiated inside and outside the worship place simultaneously, by respecting a minimum social distance of 2 meters inside, respectively 1.5 meters inside, and adequate mask-wearing.
2. Collective religious services are not considered public gatherings.
3. Clerical and non-clerical staff, directly or through their mandataries, will make sure participants respect the minimum safety distance and adequate mask-wearing during collective religious services.
4. Clerical and non-clerical staff, directly or through their mandataries, will ensure periodical disinfection of objects and surfaces (doorknobs, bannisters, chairs etc) frequently touched.

Photo courtesy of Basilica.ro / Raluca Ene

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