Diocese Issues Worship Guidance Amid Coronavirus Concerns

CLIFTON, NJ — Paterson diocese leaders are advising churchgoers to avoid shaking hands during the "sign of peace" and stop offering the "blood of Christ" in chalices as part of a series of precautions involving the coronavirus known as COVID-19.

The diocese, which covers more than 100 parishes and nearly 40 Catholic schools in Passaic, Morris and Sussex counties, recently issued guidance to its priests and parishioners about how to worship while minimizing their risk of contracting the potentially deadly virus.

Among the recommendations:

• The option of drinking the Precious Blood from the chalice is discontinued for the present time.
• During the Exchange of Peace, worshipers should simply bow with respect to each other and not shake hands.
• Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion should have available bottles of Purell or an equivalent hand sanitizer to use before and after the distribution of Communion. This also applies to all liturgical ministers before and after Mass.
• Parishioners should be encouraged not to attend Mass if they have the flu or similar symptoms.

Globally, at least 85,000 people have been infected and 3,000 people have died from COVID-19, reports say, including nine in Washington. However, despite eight people being tested for the illness in New Jersey and one person being forcibly quarantined, the state hasn't seen a single case of the novel coronavirus, officials have said.

Most New Jersey residents remain at low risk for the coronavirus, the state Department of Health said. And if anyone is having symptoms, the illness is much more likely to be caused by common respiratory viruses such as flu or the common cold, officials said.

· See related article: Another NJ Patient Tests Negative For Coronavirus

· See related article: Gov. Phil Murphy Issues NJ Update On Coronavirus

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Residents who have questions about the virus can contact the State of New Jersey's hotline at 1 (800) 222-1222. The hotline is home of the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, and is staffed 24 hours a day by state health workers.

This article contains reporting by the Patch national desk