Visit barnet.go.uk/covid19 for local information updates

Amid the fear and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, faith groups bring a message of reassurance and hope.

Faith groups offer a warm and welcoming presence providing care, protection and support to all those within their community. This is an honoured, long term tradition with a focus for the sick, disabled, vulnerable and lonely. Our belief and practice of working together with other faiths, will help us move through the challenges today in the wider community to promote health, wellbeing and peace for all.

If anyone needs faith or spiritual support, they should contact their faith leader (Minister, Rabbi, Priest, Imam, etc.). If someone is not a member of a faith group but would like to be put in touch with a faith organisation they can contact BMFF at info@barnetmultifaithforum.org

In this spirit of working together for all people, we would invite faith and community groups in Barnet to let us know what they are doing to support the community at this time so that we learn from each other, publicise and promote our work via a Pandemic Support webpage on the BMFF website. www.barnetmultifaithforum.org

This will also have links to Government, Barnet Council, NHS, Voluntary and Faith Organisations websites

Barnet Multi Faith Forum Co-chairs
Esmond Rosen & Trevor Alexander.

COVID-19 – move to ‘Delay’ phase

The Government moved today to the ‘Delay’ phase of its programme to tackle COVID-19.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51857856

Government guidance on COVID-19

IFN has received some queries from inter faith organisations debating whether to go ahead with planned meetings.  It is vital to take into account the Government’s guidance. It remains at this time, within the parameters of that guidance, a matter of judgement for organisations whether gatherings are appropriate to hold.  Considerations include such factors as size of gathering and potential vulnerability level of participants (based on what is currently known about that).

Faith community organisations and COVID-19

The NHS’s guidance remains the foundational guidance for everyone. They are updating this continually.

IFN has put up information on its website about how IFN’s member national faith community bodies are responding to Coronavirus.  As will be seen from this, there is precautionary guidance being issued by a number of them. All such guidance remains subject to change and continual updating.

The page also includes links to some articles about how faith communities are responding. You can find this at https://www.interfaith.org.uk/news/faith-communities-and-coronavirus.