Guidance for COVIDSafe practices during Orthodox Holy Week
Venue restrictions
Depending on where gatherings for Orthodox Holy Week celebrations are held, different restrictions will apply. Venues must follow the restrictions in the Restricted Activity Directions which includes preparing a COVIDSafe Plan.
Gatherings for Orthodox Holy Week in which the number of attendees exceeds the number allowed under the venue’s density quotient must be considered under the Public Events Framework.
Lower risk events (Tier 3) may proceed without government approval if they are registered and have a COVIDSafe Event Checklist. Any event that has more than 5000 participants and exceeds the capacity limit for the venue must apply for and receive Victorian Government approval.
Infection prevention.
2019 Good Friday, Adeleide, South Australia. Source: SBS Greek
Important things to remember:
⦁ let people know that they must not attend gatherings at churches or other venues if they are unwell
⦁ encourage hand hygiene before entering and leaving any area
⦁ ensure hand sanitiser is available for attendees
⦁ if there is a large number of people, gather outdoors if possible
⦁ enhance airflow of indoor spaces by opening doors and windows
⦁ ensure that ⦁ density quotients are adhered to as per the requirements of the venue – this is one person per two square metres for churches and most other venues (for example, if an outdoor space is 8 metres long and 1 metre wide, its total area is 8 square metres, so no more than 4 people would be permitted in the space at a time)
⦁ encourage physical distancing of 1.5 metres between non-household members
⦁ encourage families and household members to sit together as much as possible
⦁ use separate entry and exit points for attendees entering and exiting the church or venue
⦁ clean and disinfect high-touchpoint surfaces regularly – at least twice daily or immediately if groups are moving in and out of an area or when visibly soiled
⦁ ensure no sharing of food, drink, crockery, utensils, vessels or other equipment during ceremonies, this includes holy communion.
⦁ It is recommended that attendees wear a face mask if a physical distancing of 1.5 metres cannot be maintained.
Record keeping
All venues must use the free Victorian Government QR Code Service or the Victorian Government Application Programming Interface-linked digital system record-keeping (venues will have a 28-day compliance amnesty to 23 April 2021).
Ceremonies
Gathering for religious practices must follow the requirements stated in the Restricted Activity Directions under ‘Places of worship’.
The following principles apply for gatherings and ceremonies at places of worship during Orthodox Holy week and beyond:
⦁ there are no capacity limits for places of worship however they must apply the two square metre rule and use the ⦁ free Victorian Government QR ⦁ Code ⦁ Service or the ⦁ Victorian Government Application Programming Interface-linked digital system for record-keeping
⦁ people must not attend if unwell
⦁ it is recommended that congregants and faith leaders wear a face mask if physical distancing of 1.5 metres cannot be maintained during ceremonies
⦁ hand sanitiser should be available
⦁ separate entry and exit points should be used for people entering and exiting the place of worship
⦁ there must be no sharing of food, drink, crockery, utensils, vessels or other equipment during ceremonies, this includes for holy communion
⦁ consider organising prayers in an outdoor location, where possible
⦁ if prayers are indoors, maximise ventilation by opening windows and doors
⦁ encourage families and household members to sit together as much as possible
⦁ faith leaders should ensure that headsets or microphones are cleaned between uses
Processions and outdoor parades
How many people can attend an outdoor procession or parade?
The number of people attending a procession, in a public place, must adhere to the public gathering limits as stated in the Stay Safe Directions. This allows a public gathering of 200 people for a common purpose in a public place at any one time.
If faith leaders wish to organise a procession or parade, that would move outside of the place of worship, of more than what is permitted in the Stay Safe Directions they may apply to do so under the Public Events Framework. The Public Events Framework provides for larger gatherings of people than permitted by the public gathering limit, however, there are specific requirements that apply depending on the intended gathering limit.
Refer to the Public Events Framework for more information.
What can I do to make sure my procession or parade is COVIDSafe?
The nature of a procession or parade, and any public event, is such that it presents a higher risk for COVID-19 transmission, with many people moving around and interacting with each other. In addition to being held in line with the Stay Safe Directions or the Public Events Framework, procession or parade should also be managed in line with COVIDSafe principles to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, this includes:
⦁ Practise good hygiene and make hand sanitiser available for people
⦁ Enable people to maintain physical distancing, keeping at least 1.5 metres apart
⦁ Keep records of who is attending
⦁ Consider the use of Event Marshals to monitor and enforce COVIDSafe practices, such as physical distancing, breaking up large groups and distributing hand sanitiser
⦁ Use pre-event communication emphasising the importance of physical distancing, hand hygiene and not attending if unwell
⦁ Adhere to cleaning and disinfection requirements and clean shared objects such as microphones, items, and equipment.
Press Play on the main photo and listen to the podcast (in Greek)
