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An online mass at the Church of the Ascension in Balally, Dublin. Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

NPHET unlikely to budge on 50-person limit for Mass and other indoor gatherings

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said it seems “strange” that churches with a capacity of 1,500 would be subject to this restriction.

THE CHIEF MEDICAL Officer has indicated that health officials will likely recommend indoor gatherings be restricted to a maximum of 50 people in Phase 3, despite criticism from the Archbishop of Dublin of this advice as it relates to Mass.

The Taoiseach last week announced that religious buildings and places of worship will be able to reopen for Mass in Phase 3 starting on 29 June, but that indoor gatherings like this will be restricted to a maximum of 50 people. This will increase to 100 people in Phase 4.

At the weekend, Diarmuid Martin said the Phase 3 restrictions would mean less than 1% of people in many parishes – many of which number in the thousands – being able to gather for Mass.

“It seems strange that in a church with a capacity of 1,500 people which has been scrupulously fitted out for conformity with social distancing and with clear indications about movement and interaction of people within church, that only 50 people might be present, while we all see a situation in which large retail outlets brimming with people,” he said.

He called for “a more reasonable and responsible” approach for churches where there is capacity to hold more than 50 people while still abiding to public health advice on social distancing.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) will meet on Thursday to finalise its advice to the government on Phase 3 measures and Dr Tony Holohan this evening indicated it is unlikely that officials will recommend indoor gatherings with more than 50 people take place in any setting.

“We think that the restrictions particularly on indoor gatherings are really important ones for us to maintain a high level of compliance with,” he said.

It’s one of the areas where the ECDC [European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control] has identified as likely to be in place for some continuing period of time, even after restrictions have been eased across a range of European countries, and really no European country so far has let go of some restriction in relation to both indoor and outdoor mass gatherings.

He said most countries have not introduced more nuanced guidance that reflects on the size of the church or other venues, the focus is instead on the numbers of people attending an event.

In relation to other venues such as cinemas or music venues reopening, Dr Holohan said NPHET will be issuing “straightforward and basic” guidance. He said businesses that have already opened as part of early phases have “been responsible for the most part” in their interpretation and implementation of the advice.

“We’ll expect and hope that we’ll see that continuing pattern of responsible adherence to the spirit of the public health guidance,” he said.

He said he wanted to remind people that the guidance is in place “for good public health reasons” and that restrictions will not be recommended for any longer than officials think is necessary. 

“There isn’t an over focus on a setting in which the gathering takes place – a range of other things need to happen. People have to travel, have to get on public transport, have to mingle as they go in and out etc,” he explained.

“It’s not just about the setting, for example of a cinema or a church, it’s about how you get there and all of the other activities that happen in association with it.”

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21 Comments
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    Mute european liberal
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 8:43 PM

    You know NPHET don’t actually rule the country right

    133
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    Mute Kem Trayle
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 8:47 PM

    @european liberal: You know the government take actions based on advice from a range of experts including NPHET right?

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    Mute Anne Marie Devlin
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 8:52 PM

    With 2 m distancing, a place that has capacity for 1500 should be able to cater for 300. I’m not religious, so have no agenda just wondering if that rule will apply to pubs and restaurants etc

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    Mute Jimmy Farrell
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 8:45 PM

    It’s a bit silly that churches are only allowed 50 people. I mean they are for the most part one gigantic room with high vaulted ceilings..they are practically built for social distancing

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    Mute Jimmy Farrell
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 10:00 PM

    @TheHeathen: Sorry if i left music venues out…ALL big open plan buildings with high vaulted ceilings should allow more than 50 people indoors, that better?

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    Mute Justin Gillespie
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 8:55 AM

    @Jimmy Farrell: Don’t worry about him Jimmy, haters can’t help hating.

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    Mute Damien Gill
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 8:56 PM

    I’ve been in churches where 50 people are crammed and I’ve been in churches that hold 1,000 people without a problem.

    Very silly for same rule to apply to both building types

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    Mute Dino
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 12:35 AM

    @Damien Gill: A group of 50 vulnerable people in one place is bad enough without increasing the numbers further. One infected person could lead to circa 10 deaths if their is 50 people present (i think its close to 20% non recovery for certain 75 to 84 age demographic over 30% for over 85 and 10% for 65 to 74).

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    Mute Jimmy Carroll
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 9:15 AM

    @Dino: what about the crowded shops at least in a church you sit still in your seat

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    Mute Dara O'Brien
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 8:47 PM

    Surely if God had an issue with this he would just eliminate the virus overnight?

    Seems like he’s not all that bothered by people missing mass …

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    Mute John Doyle
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 9:14 PM

    Organisations need to start looking at the guidance as guidance and not the law. If they can provide safe reopening re social distancing and sanitizing. They should go ahead. Everyone wants to get through this, but when common sense is absent, people need to use their initiative. Again I remind everyone there is no law preventing organisations from having more than 50 people gather indoors or a hundred outdoors. Do I need to remind people of the blm protests that where not illegal. How quick we forget.

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    Mute Liam Meade
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 8:55 PM

    many they should serve food at €7 and undercut the vintners fishfinger sambos loaves n fishes

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    Mute Hector Son
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 9:24 PM

    Are there that many masses with more than 50 present any more?

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    Mute Will Tob
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 9:08 PM

    We’ve seen the evidence of mass infections , pardon the pun, Funeral’s, weddings, meat factories, football matches or any sort of cult gatherings.

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    Mute Kem Trayle
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 8:54 PM

    Yes, lets use our common sense so people can go back to eating the man who could stop this if he wanted. Erm…..

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    Mute Criostoir Mac Ranghaill
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 1:44 AM

    The elderly cover the majority of our citizens who are concerned about attending mass. So this is just another rap on the knuckles by this government on the pensioners / elderly, with continually keeping their thumb on whoever survived the scandelous way that pensioners were neglected / pushed over the cliff / imprisoned during this epidemic.

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    Mute Greig Fairfield
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 8:47 PM

    That’s 50 minus the priest, organist etc……

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    Mute Bill
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    Jun 22nd 2020, 11:25 PM

    Is there anything to be said for another Mass?

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    Mute Pharmy
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 3:04 AM

    @Bill: if you were to give it a moments thought you wouldn’t ask the question. A moderately sized church holds 500 & has a Sunday mass attendance of 750-900 over 4 masses. It could safely hold 120 with 2m distancing, so that’d be 6 masses minimum to cater for everyone who would like to come. Cut the attendance to 50 and you’d need 15-18 masses. Then remember to allow an hour between masses to clean down surfaces & ‘air’ the building, so maximum 1 mass every 2 hours.

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    Mute Jimmy Carroll
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 9:10 AM

    It should be ok in the summer we can get mass on the church grounds,please God this virus will leave us,put your trust in Jesus

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    Mute Thomas McGrath
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 1:33 PM

    I would take advice from my cat before I would listen to nphet.

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