The Government has issued further guidance to its Covid-19 website including restrictions for places of worship and faith-based gatherings at Level 2.
Before Delta at Alert Level 2 indoor gatherings were set to 100 people.
Cabinet met on Monday and it was announced all of New Zealand except Auckland will move to Alert Level 2 at 11.59pm on Tuesday, September 7 - but with added restrictions, which the Prime Minister referred to as 'Delta Level 2'.
Now, according to the Covid-19 website, at Alert Level 2, places of worship can host services and ceremonies to a maximum of 50 people if the service is indoors, and 100 people if the service is outdoors.
A spokesperson for the Covid-19 website says information is being updated over the requirements for each Alert Level following Monday's announcement.
"Once level 2 comes into effect, the website will be updated completely," she said.
The indoor and outdoor gathering limits do not include staff — for example, clergy.
It’s comes as the largest cluster in the Auckland outbreak comes from a church gathering.
Additional information from the website includes:
Advice for places of worship according to the new requirements:
All places of worship must have ways for attendees to record their visit. This can be done by asking everyone to scan in using the NZ Covid Tracer app, or by recording their contact details manually.
Think about how you can reconfigure seating, prayer and other activities to allow for physical distancing. Everyone attending a service at a place of worship needs to keep two metres apart.
Offer online services so people who cannot attend in person can participate.
Encourage attendees to leave promptly after the service to avoid people gathering or congregating.
Some religious rituals or practices need close contact — for example, a christening. Try to keep the time spent in close contact to a minimum.
Remove communal resources such as prayer mats or prayer books.
Encourage attendees to wear a face covering.
Masks will be mandatory indoors. (Source: Other)
You can have refreshments after the service, but people should not share drinks, cups, plates or cutlery.
Clean and sanitise musical instruments and other shared surfaces thoroughly before and after use.
Encourage contactless donations instead of a cash collection box.
If you are going to a place of worship:
The Ministry of Health strongly encourages you to wear a face covering when visiting a place of worship.
Keep 2 metres away from people you do not know. You can mix with friends and whānau, but please be considerate of others and leave enough space for people to keep their distance if they want to.
Do not attend a service or prayer if you are unwell.
Scan in using the NZ COVID Tracer app or give your details to the place of worship to support contact tracing.
Take home any personal items you bring in with you — for example, a prayer mat or prayer beads.
Faith-based gatherings and celebrations
At Alert Level 2, you can get together with up to 50 people to participate in a faith-based gathering or celebration, if the gathering is indoors. You can get together with 100 people if the gathering is held outdoors. The number of people who can attend a gathering or celebration does not include anyone leading or working at the gathering.
If you are organising a faith-based gathering or celebration, you need to do the following:
Make sure you do not exceed the gathering limits. You can offer a livestream option so more people can attend from home.
Keep a record of everyone who attends. You can do this by creating a NZ COVID Tracer app QR code for your venue or location and asking your guests to scan in, or by recording their contact details manually. You do not need to keep contact tracing records if you are hosting a private gathering at your home and everyone knows each other.
Make sure the venue is big enough for people to spread out comfortably and keep two metres apart.
Provide seated table service if you are serving food or drinks. Try to seat extended household bubbles together at one table and place the tables two metres apart to help with physical distancing.
Do not attend a faith-based gathering if you are unwell.
Travelling to a faith-based gathering at Alert Level 2
At Alert Level 2, you can travel to other regions that are at Alert Level 1 or 2 to attend a faith-based gathering — such as services, ceremonies and festivals. If the gathering is in an Alert Level 2 region, the indoor and outdoor gathering limits apply.
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