Letter to the Church Family - 9th July 

We are writing to everyone because, as some of you will already be aware, we have had a number of positive Covid cases that have affected St Paul’s.  We wanted to write to reassure you that we are committed to making attending church as Covid safe as we can and to keep everyone informed as much as possible.
 
In terms of what we know:- we are aware that on 4th July two individuals attending our morning service and one individual attending our youth group on Sunday evening have subsequently tested positive for Covid-19.  None of them were experiencing symptoms on Sunday.  Whilst the responsibility for identifying potential close contacts of these people rests with the NHS Test and Trace service, we have contacted everyone who attended the morning service and Laser to inform them, and we have also contacted those individuals who we believed might have been in closest contact with the positive cases.  We are aware that some contact tracing has begun and some members of our church family have been asked to self-isolate via the NHS Covid-19 App.  However, at the time of writing, St Paul’s has not yet been contacted by the NHS Test and Trace service directly. 
 
Please be assured that we are monitoring this situation closely and continuing with all the appropriate controls that we have put in place to keep people attending church services and groups as safe as possible from Covid-19.  This includes maintaining social distance, wearing masks inside and regularly cleaning/sanitising our hands.
 
None of the individuals who have since tested positive were showing symptoms on Sunday, but it is important to remember that if you develop any symptoms associated with Covid-19, you should self-isolate and get a PCR test.  (Please let us know if you receive a positive test result within 48 hours of attending a service or other event at church.)
 
Whilst this is a worrying time, we can be grateful to the Lord that these are the first confirmed cases of Covid-19 to affect us as a result of our meeting together, and also grateful for the provision of vaccines which make this a much less dangerous situation than it would have been last year.  Let’s continue to pray that the Lord will uphold and lead us, and especially for his healing for those who are ill, his comfort for those concerned about possible exposure and for all who are finding this time particularly hard.
 
With love in Christ,
 
The Wardens and Staff Team