Dear Pastors of NSW,

We are praying for you and your congregations. During this time of restrictions we urge you to join our Pastor’s Round Table ZOOM meetings at any of the following times. Meeting details are emailed privately:

Monday	6:30 AM
Wednesday	6:30 AM
Wednesday	5:30 PM
Friday	6:30 AM
Friday	6:00 PM

Church Life and Pastoral Care in NSW

NSW has been placed on high alert by the NSW government due to increased community based infections of COVID-19 and other various reasons. Victoria has unprecedented restrictions being placed on its citizens in order to stop community transmission, the proximity of Victoria to NSW and ease of travel between the two states has placed NSW in a heightened place of vulnerability. Therefore, it is every NSW pastor’s duty of care to ensure their places of worship are conducted in a safe and responsible manner.

Please ensure you are up to date with NSW Government COVID related regulations. It is your responsibility to be aware of the rules and to follow them. Some of your responsibilities include:

Prepare and Maintain a COVID-19 Safety Plan
- All places of worship must register their COVID-19 Safety Plan through nsw.gov.au.
If you hold public gatherings, the number of persons that can be on the premises is equivalent to one person per 4 square metres of space in the premises, or 100 people, total.
- Weddings are limited to 150 people.
- Funerals are limited to 100 people.
Exclude staff and congregants who are unwell from the premises. No exceptions.
Group singing is considered high risk and so should continue to be avoided.
Keep a record of name and a mobile number or email address for all staff, volunteers, visitors and contractors for a period of at least 28 days. For households, one contact is sufficient to support contact tracing. Ensure records are used only for the purposes of tracing COVID-19 infections and are stored confidentially and securely.
Ensure your cleaning regime is COVIDsafe.

More information can be viewed here:

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/industry-guidelines/places-of-worship

https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/

https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/_emergency/Public%20Health%20(COVID-19%20Restrictions%20on%20Gathering%20and%20Movement)%20Order%20(No%204)%202020_as%20amended_200806.pdf

https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/#public-health-orders

https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/covid-19-restrictions-to-be-tightened

https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-07/covid-19-safety-plan-places-of-worship_0.pdf

An excellent site maintained by Sydney Anglicans is: https://sydneyanglicans.net/covidchurchworkerfaqs

Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney: https://www.sydneycatholic.org/coronavirus-frequently-asked-questions/