Holy Redeemer Streatham

To help prevent the spread flu and disruption to church activities through illness, we have drawn up the following simple plan.

This is not something to worry about; we are simply being advised by the Church of England to make a plan in light of the recent wave of flu.

WHAT WE ASK YOU TO DO

We will ask people using our premises to follow 3 simple principals:

• If anyone has flu-like symptoms, they should stay at home while the symptoms persist.  (If someone in your household has swine flu but you do not have symptoms, it is not necessary for you to stay at home).
• When you arrive and leave our buildings, please wash or sanitise your hands carefully and those of your children.
• Please ensure that you cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough. Then dispose of the tissue and wash your hands promptly

WHAT WE WILL DO

We will do the following to help prevent the spread of flu:

1. We will provide tissues, sanitising gel, bins to dispose of tissues and information on hand washing for our congregation.
2. We will clean door handles and hard surfaces with detergent and empty bins after every meeting, and ask groups using our building to do the same.
3. During communion services, we are advised no longer to share the common chalice for communion. Instead, the vicar will dip the bread in the wine and place this on a person’s hands to eat. We will also greet each other during the peace, rather than shake hands.
4. We will use the data projector instead of hymn books, service sheets and Bibles if possible.
5. After services, we will serve drinks in single-use plastic cups and dispose of them afterwards.
6. Where possible, pastoral work to those who get ill with flu will be carried out via the phone, rather than by visiting.
7. We will provide ‘flu friends’ to members of our congregation and the local community to get medicines and supplies for them if they are unwell.  For more information or to request a flu friend, visit www.holyredeemerstreatham.org.uk/flu-friends
8. In the unlikely event that public gatherings like church services are banned by the government, we will record sermons and post these on the Internet for people to listen to. Those without Internet access can telephone us and we will send CDs through the post.

WHAT LEADERS SHOULD DO

Leaders of church activities are asked to do the following:

• plan for someone to provide sickness cover for you before illness is an issue.
• ensure that you have the contact numbers of the covering person, the other group leaders and key church staff.
• plan what you will do if it is not possible to run the group due to the illness of leaders;  how you will communicate this to the members of your group and what alternative arrangements need to be made if any.
• take responsibility for ensuring that users of your group maintain good hand hygiene.
• communicate the above arrangements to the overall group leader and the overall leader inform the church office of your group plan.

Swine Flu Information Line: 0800 1513 513.
National Flu Pandemic Service: 0800 1513  100

Need a ‘Flu friend’? Click here.
For permission to use our pandemic plan, email us.