Religious services and places of worship
Are places of worship closed?
Under new arrangements to come into effect at 11.59pm on Tuesday 12 May, all places of
worship, of all denominations can now open for re-arranged worship or small religious
ceremonies of up to 10 people as well as the minimum number of people reasonably
required for the service. This includes baptisms.
Multiple services or ceremonies can be held on the same day, but cleaning should occur
between services or ceremonies. At least an hour should be allowed between services or
ceremonies to reduce the risk of crowds at entrances and exits. The four square metre rule,
which limits the number of people who can be in a building, applies.
Ceremonies and services can still be recorded or broadcast live from the place of worship for
viewing online. You are allowed to have people on site to record and live stream services,
however, you must ensure those people maintain physical distancing by keeping at least 1.5
metres between each other at all times.
Places of worship may be opened for the purposes of conducting weddings and funerals, but
there are strict limits on the number of people who can attend.
For weddings, and under new arrangements to come into effect at 11.59pm on Tuesday 12
May, 10 people can attend in addition to the couple, and the celebrant.
For indoor funerals, no more than 20 mourners may attend in person as well as the people
required for the funeral, such as the officiant or funeral company. Funerals held outdoors can
be attended by a maximum of 30 mourners in attendance. If a funeral is held at a private
house then only 5 people, in addition to people who live at the household, can attend.
Places of worship can continue to be opened for the purposes of hosting essential public
support services such as food banks, help for the homeless or other essential activities,
ensuring appropriate physical distancing is maintained by keeping at least 1.5 metres
between everyone at all times.