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Christ’s ChurchAnglican Parish of MandurahCOVID SAFETY PLANUpdated 14 May 2020IntroductionIt is a requirement of the Government of Western Australia that, as a community venue, places of worship must have in place a Covid Safety Plan in order to reopen to the public as of 18 May 2020.The Plan must be available to be reviewed by authorised officers at any time.The Anglican Parish of Mandurah has developed this Plan to cover the parish church, Christ’s Church. The Anglican Op Shop, which is situated at separate premises and was not forced to close due to government regulations is voluntarily adopting a Covid Safety Plan for the protection of staff and customers.The Anglican Bookshop, which is situated within the church building, is not currently open. Prior to its reopening an assessment will be made as to an appropriate Covid Safety Plan for the ernment Regulations and RestrictionsAll government regulations, as may be amended from time to time, must be adhered to.As of 18th May, these include:Only 20 patrons (worshipers) are allowed at any service of public worshipA maximum of 20 people are able to attend an indoor wedding, and 30 attend an outdoor weddingA maximum of 20 mourners may attend an indoor funeral, and 30 attend an outdoor funeral.Social distancing must be maintained, 4 square metre rule per person must be able to be providedPhysical and social distancingFor all church services, chairs will be set at a distance of 1.5 metres apart, with a maximum of 20 chairs being made available. The roster of service teams for Eucharists is suspended until a date to be determined, with those in the sanctuary at each service limited to those invited by the celebrant to assist.During services, worshippers will not be able to enter the side chapel (morning prayer) or the sanctuary (Eucharist).During communion, people wishing to receive the bread will need to approach one at a time to the distribution points, which will be marked on the floor with a cross. There will be two points, one on the left and one on the right at the base of the sanctuary steps. Distribution will alternate between these points, allowing clear passage for worshippers to and from their seats.Hugs and Handshakes are not to be offered. Social distancing must be adhered to at all times. This means keeping a distance of at least 1.5 metres away from other people, unless they are from the same household.While there is a greeting of the peace contained within the communion service, worshipers will not be able to share the peace with each other in the traditional sense. Instead they will be encouraged to look around at the people in the church, and will be instructed not to leave their seat to share the peace.When there are consecutive services occurring, entrance will be via the main entrance of the church, and departure shall be by the rear office door. Worshippers will not be allowed to remain in the church to socialise at the end of any service.There shall be two ushers at each Eucharist service, one inside and one outside the church, to direct worshippers and to encourage them to maintain social distancing.Parishioners waiting to attend a service within the parish will not be permitted to wait inside the foyer. They must wait outside the entrance to the church. Plastic chairs shall be placed outside, spaced at a minimum of 1.5metres apart, for parishioners to sit on while waiting to enter the church.Parishioners and visitors coming to the church during the week will be required to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Any person showing any signs of illness will be asked to leave the church.The church foyer will continue to be a place for parishioners to collect and leave items and will remain open 8.00am – 12 noon Monday to Saturday. A limit of 2 people should be in the foyer at any time. No more than two people are to be in the kitchen or either bathroom at any time and people should not enter the passage way if someone else is already there.The church office will be open Monday – Friday, 9.00am – 12 noon. However, visitors will not be able to enter the office. A reception counter with a safety shield has been established outside the internal entrance door to the office. Visitors will be required to ring the bell provided to attract the attention of office staff.Similarly visitors will not be able to enter the priest’s office. Should anyone wish to speak to one of the priests, they should knock on the door and then step back, allowing the door to be opened and safe distance to be maintained. They will be able to move into the body of the church to talk to the priest.Staff will be seeking to at all times maintain a 1.5metre distance between themselves and between themselves and people coming to the church. They will follow good hygiene practices of washing hands and cleaning after any close interactions. Staff will stay at home if they are unwell.Social distancing signage shall be displayed throughout the church.HygieneKey personnel of the parish have voluntarily undertaken to complete the online Covid Hygiene Training Course on offer from AHA Hospitality and Tourism so that each of our premises, the Church, Op Shop and Bookshop will have trained hygiene officers who can ensure that we are meeting requirements. The course covers:understanding COVID-19 and venue restrictions?reporting personal health issues?maintaining personal and work environment hygiene practices?reducing cross contamination through procedures?effective cleaning and sanitising practices?There shall be no sharing of worship resources, except between worshippers of the same household:People attending morning prayer will be required to use their own prayer book or electronic device to participate in the service. Anyone wishing to make use of church prayer book must take a copy into their possession and keep it for their personal use until such time as a request is issued for it to be returned to the church.PowerPoint presentations will be used for all Eucharist services, with prayer books being unavailable. Worshippers may bring their own prayer books into the church. At the 8am Sunday service, where music will be played, hymn books will not be in use.Bulletins shall be available at each service and shall be placed on individual chairs by a member of the service leadership team. They must be removed by worshippers at the end of each service. A recycle bin shall be available at the exit door for those who do not want to take their copy home.Chairs used for worshippers at services will be wooden framed with a vinyl seat to allow for ease of cleaning. No fabric covered chairs will be available to those attending munion will be offered in one kind, the bread. As is normal practice in the sanctuary, the priest distributing the bread shall wash their hands with water and then use hand sanitiser before the Great Thanksgiving.There will not be a collection during any service. Instead, for Eucharists a retiring collection shall be taken. After the handling of any money, staff shall wash their hands with soap and water, or use hand sanitiser.No person who is feeling unwell in any way should seek to attend a service in the churchHand Sanitiser will continue to be available at points throughout out the church, including the entrance and exit and its use is encouraged, unless there is a valid reason not to, such as intolerance or skin irritation. Liquid soap and paper towels will continue to be supplied in the bathrooms and kitchen.The parish will continue to maintain a supply of commercial cleaning products, including detergents and disinfectant for use in the church. They shall be kept in their original containers.A team of voluntary cleaners shall be established to ensure that as a minimum, Glen 20 spray and antibacterial wipes will be used to clean at the conclusion of each service held in the church.Cleaning shall include, but not be limited to:door knobs and door surfacesall chairstablesbathroom facilitiesVolunteer cleaners shall be required to wear gloves and to use all provided cleaning products in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. They shall be provided with written information outlining recommended practice, which has been prepared by Safe Work Australia and the Australian Government Department of Health.Staff shall be responsible for cleaning their own personal equipment, and their work spaces with cleaning products provided, following the Covid 19 cleaning guidelines issued by Safe Work Australia.A cleaning regime shall be established with the use of staff and volunteers for the common areas of the church which shall see, as a minimum, high contact surfaces cleaned and sanitised on a daily basis.Staff Training and EducationStaff are not only those people who are employed by the Anglican Diocese of Bunbury to work in the Anglican Parish of Mandurah, but also all volunteers who spend time at the church undertaking activities to assist in the running of the parish.Key personnel of the parish have voluntarily undertaken to complete the online Covid Hygiene Training Course on offer from AHA Hospitality and Tourism so that each of our premises, the Church, Op Shop and Bookshop will have trained hygiene officers who can ensure that we are meeting requirements. The course covers:understanding COVID-19 and venue restrictions?reporting personal health issues?maintaining personal and work environment hygiene practices?reducing cross contamination through procedures?effective cleaning and sanitising practices?Copies of the course workbook and downloadable information sheets from the course shall be made available to staff to read and use as an ongoing reference.Hygiene Officers shall review practices within the church regularly and discuss with staff and parish wardens any issues or concerns that need addressing. In the first instance they shall ensure that the workplace checklist has been gone through with employed staff.Staff shall each morning, following morning prayer, set aside time to meet to review policy and practice in relation to the Covid Safety Plan and develop implementation strategies for any issue that needs addressing.Signage shall be prominently displayed throughout the church for the benefit of staff and others who come to the church. This shall include signage regarding recognising signs and symptoms of Covid 19 and signage which promotes best practice with regard to:social distancinghandwashinghandwashingpersonal hygieneComplianceIt is the responsibility of the priest in charge, the assistant priest, and the parish wardens to ensure that they are fully informed of the legal obligations of the parish arising not only from the Emergency Management Act 2005 and the directions made under that Act as they pertain to the operation of the activities of the Anglican Parish of Mandurah, but to all other legislation and regulations which govern the operation of the parish.Response PlanningAll staff and visitors will be required to complete a daily attendance register, with their name, contact details, and times in and out of the church. A person who visits the church for a brief period of time and has minimal face to face interaction with another person, such as someone dropping off or collecting an item from the foyer, is exempt from this requirement.All worshippers will be required to provide their name and contact details on a register made for each service conducted within the pleted registers will be scanned into the parish electronic record management system.Data collected will not be permitted to be used for any purpose other than contact tracing in the event of suspected exposure to the Covid 19 virus.In the event of an incident where it is known that someone with a case of Covid 19 has been at the church, a call shall be made to the Covid 19 public hotline, 1800 020 080 and the advice of the health officials followed.If a person at the church is displaying Covid like symptoms, or discloses any information that leads staff to be concerned about the health of the person or others at the church then the following should be implemented.Reasonable measures should be taken to keep the person away from other people. If they have serious symptoms such as difficulty breathing then 000 should be called for urgent medical assistance.To determine if it is reasonable to suspect that the person has Covid 19, this needs to be discussed with them and government health advice soughtSupport shall be provided to ensure that the person has safe transport home, to a location they can isolate, or to a medical facility if necessary.Potentially affect areas shall be closed off from access until they can be cleaned and disinfected. Air flow into the area should be maximised if possible via the opening of doors and windows.Notify the state public health unit by contacting the Covid 19 public hotline on 1800 020 080.Provide attendance register if requestedUndertake a risk assessment of likely close contacts within the church and review all strategies in line with current government and medical advice.Measures in Place for those who do not wish to return to worship in the ChurchLive streaming of morning prayer will continue each morning Monday to Saturday at 8.00am. Only the priest leading the service will be seen on camera. The microphone will record the collective voice of those in attendance during the responses.The 8.00am service of Holy Communion will continue to be live streamed. Only those in the sanctuary will be seen on camera. ................
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