Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds

By Jill Sperling

COVID-19

Despite permission, most Kamloops churches choose not to open this weekend

May 20, 2020 | 5:19 PM

KAMLOOPS — Churches have been given the green light to reopen their buildings to small congregations this weekend, but most churches in Kamloops are choosing to stay closed.

Kamloops United Church is among those choosing to continue providing services online. Rev. Dr. Michael Caveny says the church didn’t feel it could comfortably maintain social distancing.

“We look at people in hallways, what about in washrooms, the sanitizing of facilities,” he said. “So, we don’t think we can do that. Where we are perhaps beginning to gradually open is groups of maybe two or three people meeting at the church, but then with strict distancing, everything is sanitized before and after people use a room.”

Several churches in Kamloops have reported higher online attendance than at their in-person services and some are developing their own phased approaches to reopening.

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“I think our responsibility is just to be very very cautious and to err on the side of caution,” Caveny said. “We realize that in our congregation there are many people who are in the vulnerable category, and we just don’t want to be the source of any outbreak.”