Northampton's All Saints' Church: Covid-19 forces Christmas closure

Father Oliver Coss said the decision to suspend public worship at All Saints' will be "distressing for many"

A church has been forced to suspend all public worship after a choir member tested positive for coronavirus.

All Saints' Church in Northampton had previously outlined its plans for Covid-secure services over Christmas.

The chorister reported symptoms of Covid-19 on Monday, before testing positive on Wednesday.

Father Oliver Coss said a lack of "evidence, guidance, or expertise" regarding new variants of the virus had contributed to the decision.

The church had hoped to welcome parishioners for Midnight Mass and for two Christmas Day services.

In a statement, Father Oliver said: "The larger context of our decision-making is the rapidly deteriorating situation at large in the nation.

"Our protection measures have kept people coming to All Saints' Church safe since we reopened for worship in July, but with little to no evidence, guidance, or expertise on whether the robust measures we have are effective against the new variants, we have to make decisions that are in the interests of our people, and which will protect our NHS.

There has been a church on the site of All Saints' since Norman times, but the current building was constructed after the Great Fire of Northampton in 1675

"We have always said that it was only possible to hold public worship while it was safe to do so and, where we are unsure, an abundance of caution is an entirely proportionate response."

The church will still hold a 25 minute Mass on Christmas Day "to enable those who wish to make their communion on such an important day".

All other worship will take place online until at least 3 January, including a livestreamed Midnight Mass on 24 December.

Father Oliver added: "This has been an exceptionally hard decision, but 2020 has been full of those.

"I know it will be distressing news for many, and I entirely share every bit of that distress.

"Leading Christmas worship is something that brings me a childlike joy that I shall be grieved of this year."

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