Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl has reacted to the Government’s decision to allow places of worship to reopen after the current lockdown period ends on 2 December.
Marie said: “We welcome the decision to allow places of worship to reopen following the current lockdown period. Since the announcement about this lockdown in England, we have been in dialogue with the Government and Public Health England about the data around places of worship, as our understanding is that where faith premises have made sure to meticulously observe social distancing regulations, there has been a minimal number of outbreaks associated with communal worship. Last week, we organised meetings for all the Jewish religious authorities with Public Health England and were in dialogue at the highest levels of government on the issue. While this is positive news, we continue to remind people to take great care in observing health guidelines, so we can all play our part to stop the spread and save lives.”