Coatbridge church closes after parishioner contracts Covid-19

A young parishioner at St Augustine's in Coatbridge has tested positive for Covid-19

A North Lanarkshire church has closed after one of its parishioners tested positive for coronavirus.

The young member of the congregation at St Augustine's in Coatbridge had attended a large mass there in recent days.

Rev Fr Michael Kane has stopped all services at the church until further notice to protect the health of parishioners.

He said the building would also undergo a "deep antibacterial clean".

Fr Kane said: "After consulting Bishop Toal, it was agreed that our church should close with immediate effect in order to mitigate any further spread of the virus among our parishioners.

Service livestream

"This decision has been taken with a heavy heart but with the sole purpose of protecting the health of our parishioners."

Members of the church were told to follow parish updates online.

Fr Kane said that the parishioner in question was not seriously unwell.

It follows a rise of six cases in the Lanarkshire area since Saturday.

Meanwhile a church in Fife has started to livestream services to stop members gathering in large groups.

Elders at St Andrews Free Church announced they would broadcast their morning and evening services instead.