Scotland: Only allowing churches to reopen on Easter Monday 'staggeringly insensitive'

Source: Catholic Union

The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has just announced the easing lockdown measures in Scotland. Among the new rules she has announced that churches will be allowed to reopen on Easter Monday. Churches throughout Scotland have been closed since mid January.

Catholic Union Head of Public Affairs, James Somerville-Meikle, commented: "It's frustrating that people in Scotland will need to wait at least another month before churches can open again, despite no evidence that places of worship are contributing to the spread of the virus.

"The Catholic Union called on the First Minister to publish evidence for the decision to close churches in Scotland on 5 January, but no evidence has yet been produced."

"The plans set out by the Scottish Government mean that churches in Scotland will have been closed for the first three months of this year, when they have remained open in other parts of the UK. The fact that we have seen rates of infection fall across the UK suggests the decision to close churches has not had any impact on efforts to control the virus.

"Opening churches the day after Easter Sunday would be staggeringly insensitive. We need a commitment from the Scottish Government that churches will be open for Easter this year."

More information on the Scottish Government's announcement can be found here: www.gov.scot/news/gradually-easing-lockdown-restrictions/

See also: ICN 5 January 2021 - Catholic Union calls for evidence on Scottish church closures www.indcatholicnews.com/news/41255