Chamber and committees

I recognise how difficult it has been for Scotland’s faith communities to be unable to come together in large groups within places of worship at this challenging time, and understand the important role of congregational worship in supporting spiritual wellbeing. We do not want restrictions to last any longer than is necessary but must ensure that people who enter places of worship to undertake congregational activities will be safe.

Decisions about what restrictions to place on sectors or activities on our route out of lockdown have been guided by the principles set out in our Framework for Decision Making. We have sought to reduce broader health, economic and societal harm, but always with the necessity to suppress the virus. This has led to some difficult decisions about how best to balance the various harms.

For many of our faith communities, places of worship are also community spaces where individuals meet to worship, pray and interact with others from across their congregation. To support this, places of worship are not caught by the same restrictions on household gatherings as, for example, hospitality settings such as pubs and restaurants.

In order to limit the risk of transmission of the virus, we must take a cautious approach and ensure that the total number of people interacting with each other within places of worship remains at a manageable level. This is currently set at 50 people at a time. Our guidance on safe capacities was developed in discussion with our faith communities and we will continue to work closely with them as we move towards fully reopening places of worship as soon as it is safe to do so.

The 50 person limit will be reviewed on 20 August as part of our commitment to review restrictions every three weeks, as outlined in the Framework for Decision Making.