From 6th September 2021, public health measures permit an increase in the numbers that can be admitted to Churches to up to 50% capacity from 6^th September 2021 until all capacity restrictions are due to be dropped on 22^nd October.  The new increased limits will mean a lot more people than the 50 of recent times will be able to attend Mass.

Wonderful work has been done by very dedicated volunteers in the Churches of Ballinderreen and Kinvara Parishes in the periods when public worship was open in a restricted way, so it is good that some of the demands can now be relaxed.

There is now a move towards an emphasis on personal judgment and personal responsibility. 1 meter physical distancing will now be the norm, but people will need to ensure this for themselves. The tapes blocking off rows of seats have now been removed. In order to keep 1 meter distance between people not of the same household, people will need to sit in a ‘diagonal’ sort of way, i.e. not to sit directly behind somebody. See this sample plan provided by the Diocesan Office. The main thing to remember is not to sit directly behind somebody, and to sit at least a metre away from somebody in the same seat who is not of your household.

The opening of all seats will mean that the distribution of Holy Communion will need to go back to the method used in normal times. People should come up gently and not crowd around.

You are reminded to please sanitise your hands on entering and on leaving the Church.

The wearing of face-coverings continues to be mandatory, except of course for children under 13 years of age and those who are medically exempt.

Thanks to those who helped measure the capacity of each Church in preparation for this new phase. Therefore, 50% capacity and hence the limit on the number of people for each Church is:

St Colman’s Church, Ballinderreen: 162 people

St Joseph’s Church, Kinvara: 175 people

St Kieran’s Church, Doorus: 70 people

St Colman’s Church, Kinvara: 197 people.