The July meeting of the General Synod will now take place remotely, because of the four-week delay in lockdown easing which was announced this week.
The meeting had been scheduled to take place at Church House, Westminster, when it was thought that all legal restrictions on social contact, mask-wearing, and indoor and outdoor gatherings would end on 21 June. The Prime Minister said on Monday, however, that most restrictions would remain in place until at least 19 July, because of concerns about the rapid spread of the Delta variant, first seen in India.
A statement from Church House, issued on Thursday, says: “Synod’s Business Committee examined alternatives including a hybrid meeting or reduced attendance to comply with restrictions but has reluctantly concluded that the only viable option is to hold the group of sessions from July 9 to 12 remotely.
“As a result, the timetable for the event has been slimmed down slightly, with some items better suited to a face-to-face meeting postponed and some extra screen breaks introduced.”
““Synod’s Business Committee examined alternatives including a hybrid meeting or reduced attendance to comply with restrictions but has reluctantly concluded that the only viable option is to hold the group of sessions from July 9 to 12 remotely" https://t.co/z5lAdgB8yd
— Church Times (@ChurchTimes) June 17, 2021