March 05, 2020
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Reverend and dear Father:
The Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, the senior public health official for BC, has issued some recommendations in reference to preventing the transmission of the COVID-19 virus. In line with those recommendations, I ask that you put the following measures in place.
Given that there is no guarantee that a communicant’s hands are germ-free, people remain free to receive Holy Communion either on the tongue or in the hand.
Apart from the above, the following statement from the Ministry of Health should be followed: “The most important measures people in B.C. can take to prevent respiratory illnesses including COVID-19, are cleaning your hands regularly, avoiding touching your face, coughing or sneezing into your elbow sleeve, disposing of tissues appropriately and staying home and away from others if you are sick.”
We will be updating our COVID-19 virus page with the latest information, which can be found at rcav.org/coronavirus
Thank you for your attention to these details and our concern for everyone’s health.
+J. Michael Miller, CSB
Archbishop of Vancouver