London councils call to close down places of worship during lockdown

LONDON council leaders struggling to contain some of the highest rates of Covid-19 in Britain have called places of worship to be closed during lockdown.

The Government’s new “stay at home” rules that came into effect last night say “you can attend places of worship for a service” so long as social distancing rules are observed.

But a letter signed by four town hall bosses in north-east London and sent to faith leaders in the area calls for a temporary ban on “face-to-face meetings” for religious purposes.

The letter, written by Darren Rodwell of Barking & Dagenham council, Newham mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, Redbridge’s Jas Athwal, Waltham Forest’s Clare Coghill and Hackney’s Philip Granville, said the area was at “a critical moment.”

It says all services should be moved online with the exception of funerals.  The letter adds: “None of us wants to see places of faith close but these are challenging times.”