An LDS church in UK closed because one of its congregation tested positive for coronavirus.

The church's representative Scott Spencer said the initial reaction was that it was "going to reflect terribly on the church".

Did the closure happen before or after the sacrament trays were passed around the chapel?

Sacrament meeting is a mormon petri dish.

Yep. Definitely a spreading ground for a virus.

Benvolio Wrote:
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> The church's representative Scott Spencer said the
> initial reaction was that it was "going to reflect
> terribly on the church".

What is going to reflect terribly? That they have a member who has the virus or that they closed the church?

And why is that his first reaction? Better to give best wishes to the patient, the family and all the other members.

And if it reflects badly on the church to either have a member with the virus or to close, the point I'm unclear on, by extension that must mean it reflects badly on all the other locations, areas, countries, planes and ships, as well as people, that have been affected.

It makes no sense.

When children are molested and the first reaction is to hide the molesters and protect the Church instead of genuine concern about the children...

When someone comes down with a virus and the first concern is how it looks for the church...

When someone is more worried about how the numbers look instead of the actual people infected and at risk because it might impact popularity...

...it shows reputation is first priority and empathy is last priority. It's hard to respect organizations or individuals who demonstrate that they care so little for victims when push comes to shove. Humans are so disappointing sometimes.

This. We have a winner. All victims and those infected by the conoravirus will be swept under the rug. The rug is getting very very tall i feel like.

I should have included the reference.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-51782255

It’s always about THE Church isn’t it. I hope the man fully recovers and reads THOSE words and realizes it’s all about THE Church.

Maybe to be safe, they should have ALL the members not attend church for the month of March. Like that will ever happen.

https://www.deseret.com/faith/2020/3/8/21170723/coronavirus-mormon-church-lds-meetings-germany-united-kingdom-covid-19-precautions

"The church announced Sunday that meetings had been limited or temporarily suspended for the first time in Germany and the United Kingdom"

The first time I ever remember church being cancelled was back in the early 1980s or late 1970s when it snowed so much in Cache Valley, most people couldn't get to church.

They sure don't do it very often.

And messygoop, that is something I didn't think of. They need to have those buildings cleaned really well.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/09/2020 10:41AM by cl2.

I spent a lot of Sundays (almost 2 years) sitting a few seats away from the bishopric as a deacon assigned church service called the bishop's messenger or gopher.

My point is that you see everything that members are doing from that vantage point. Every sneeze and cough. All the touching, shoulder and back rubs. You don't miss a thing. I saw a man pick a booger out of his nose.

I think a lot of local level leaders are terrified. They know that some of their members are unhygienic. They also know the price of volunteer cleaning of the buildings. You get what you pay for.

messygoop Wrote:
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> I think a lot of local level leaders are
> terrified. They know that some of their members
> are unhygienic. They also know the price of
> volunteer cleaning of the buildings. You get what
> you pay for.

That is a most excellent point. There is an art and science to institutional cleaning which the average person may not know or think about, or perform correctly. Too, professional cleaners are held to a higher standard than are "volunteers" so they have more incentive to do it right.

I'm at the point in general myself where I strive not to have to use a public washroom in any case, and that was before this latest virus. I have mapped out those that are at least seemingly clean on the surface but some I won't consider using. I especially don't want to use one in a lab or a medical office but sometimes that is unavoidable.

So you have to wash your hands well in there, if they have soap and towels (appallingly, some don't keep up their supplies), and then you have to wash your hands again with your own hand sanitizer or when you arrive home. One thing we may not think about is that to enter and exit any washroom or building, including our own homes, you have to use the doorknob or handle. How often do you think anyone (especially "volunteers") think to disinfect those? So you wash your hands inside the washroom but then have to grab a dirty door handle to get out and immediately now your hands are not clean. And any surface you touch can then be contaminated by any nasty bug that has attached to your hands. (I always use a paper towel to touch the door handle on the way out).

I must say that when I recently attended a concert at an LDS building and did need the washroom it seemed very clean. This could be because (1) the church members regularly assigned to cleaning duty do a good job in general; (2) it's a stake centre and so maybe they maintain professional cleaning staff (longshot); (3) they were expecting hundreds of non-members to attend the concert and so for that event they did get the place professionally cleaned.

We knew about these issues all along in general in regular life but now this COVID-19 virus has heightened our awareness currently and likely going forward indefinitely in this new reality.

I have to go to the lab this a.m. (because of a lingering URI, mumble, mumble). I'm already dreading touching surfaces I know they do not clean between patients (like the pad on the arm of the chair that you have to lay your arm onto for them to draw blood). It'll be interesting to see if they have changed their protocol now (maybe disinfecting it between patients). I hate to go in with a cold, for the sake of the staff and the other patients waiting in there, usually a crowd in a very small area, but my MD insists. I also don't welcome the thought of sitting for up to an hour beside a whole bunch of sick people in there. Here's hoping they can get me in without a long wait, for once. And before I need the washroom!

I always feel that way about the lab anyway but now, as with everything else, we should all be more on alert. It seems counterintuitive that something so basic as handwashing can help to combat a potentially deadly virus. It would be more satisfying if they could do mass vaccinations that would give us more of a sense of ease because it's something more complex and scientific than mere handwashing. But for now, the prevention technique is in our own hands - literally.

Here is a weird thought why not heal everyone with the Priesthood that would bring everyone back in a hurry!! They could say it is a Miracle!!!