Mancetter vicar on coronavirus: We apply 'common sense' to our everyday practices in church

A Mancetter vicar believes adopting "common sense" principles at church services will aid the fight to halt the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

The Rev Linda Mudd says her parishioners at St Peter's were already applying good practice in not sharing the 'common cup' during Holy Communion despite the Church of England advising it was not yet necessary to suspend the religious custom.

The Church of England has urged congregations to incorporate "simple precautions" at services to reduce the risk of infection from the disease.

It said parishioners with "coughs and sneezes" should already be encouraged to receive Communion in "one kind only" and "to refrain from handshaking during The Peace".

An integral part of Christian worship, Holy Communion, also known as the Eucharist, involves worshippers receiving consecrated bread and wine in memory of the Last Supper taken by Jesus and his disciples.

During communion services, congregations also observe "the peace", a pause in proceedings where people typically shake hands with those around them.

But the Rev Mudd told Nub News: "It's a question of applying common sense.

"If you are full of cold then take the bread and substitute a blessing instead of partaking of the wine."

The parish priest, who came to Mancetter almost 12 months ago from Coventry Caludon team ministry, also explained that the Anglican Church's new guidance on hand-sanitisers was already in operation at the village's Mancetter Road church.

She added: "We have a hand gel dispenser at the altar. I wash my hands before the service and then I use the hand gel before placing the bread on the communion plate."

Latest Government figures reveals nine patients in England have tested positive for coronavirus.

Based on the World Health Organisation's declaration that this is a public health emergency of international concern, Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Chris Whitty has raised the risk to the public from low to moderate.

This permits the government to plan for all eventualities with Health Secretary Matt Hancock announcing strengthened legal powers to bolster public health protections against coronavirus.

Based on the scientific advice of SAGE, anyone who has travelled to the UK from mainland China, Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia or Macau in the last 14 days and is experiencing cough or fever or shortness of breath, to stay indoors and call NHS 111, even if symptoms are mild.

As of yesterday, a total of 4,916 people in the UK have been tested, of which 4,907 were confirmed negative and nine positive.

Current Government advice says coronavirus is a type of virus. As a group, coronaviruses are common across the world. Typical symptoms include fever and a cough that may progress to a severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.

Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus first identified in Wuhan City, China.

It has now killed more than 2,000 people, all but six of them in mainland China.

It has infected more than 75,000 people, with more than 1,000 confirmed cases outside mainland China.