Displaying items by tag: coronavirus

Many people over 70, pregnant women, and those with underlying health conditions are now in voluntary lockdown, taking personal responsibility to stay away from potential infection. Continue to pray for their protection and peace of mind. The nation should avoid gatherings and crowded places, including pubs, clubs, theatres, underground and even the workplace if they can work from home. Pray for a calm response to these government requests. Most schools are shut ‘to reduce social contact throughout society’. Children of ‘key workers’ and those who receive free meals or depend on school for food and security will be catered for in some classrooms with a skeleton staff. Pray for any ‘anomalies’ in these provisions to be speedily resolved, for example teachers who are parents with school children at home. Pray for wise government strategies and for parents presented with childcare issues. Some stay-at-home parents will struggle financially. May government provisions be adequate for these and other vulnerable groups.

What will life be like for the over-70s in self-isolation in the countryside? When Carol, aged 70, heard on 15 March that she could be stuck indoors for the long haul, she took the first bus of the day four miles into Bridport to buy supplies. ‘I was the only person on the bus and when I got to the shops some shelves were bare. I tried to book a Tesco delivery but there were no slots until 4 April.’ Her story is repeated across the country. Elizabeth Harley, a lay preacher at the Chapel in the Garden in Bridport, runs a community fridge which distributed four tonnes of surplus food to people in need last year, but gifts to her project are now scarce. However, thanks to a coronavirus community support Facebook page, Carol has received many encouraging offers of help.

In light of Government guidance around non-essential contact, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have said that public worship is suspended until further notice. Churches should be open wherever possible, but no public worship services should take place. Prayers can be said on behalf of everyone, and churches should consider ways of sharing this with the wider community. There are digital resources available. Funerals are significant events with family and friends gathering to express grief, give thanks for the life lived, and commend the person into God’s keeping. Christian funerals will continue but with some adaptations - limiting the numbers of those attending to immediate family, and using technology to capture the event for those who are unable to be there in person. Also, social distancing measures should be observed. Churches remain committed to offering pastoral and spiritual support, sharing the love and hope of Jesus Christ. For special prayers and liturgy go here

The BBC has announced that it will focus more programmes on the coronavirus outbreak, offering more education, fitness, religion and recipes for those stuck at home. A dedicated coronavirus podcast will be released daily, and local radio stations will provide support phone-ins to communities around the country. ITV will broadcast news specials and suspend some planned entertainment shows; others will go ahead without a live audience. There will be further developments and challenges filling the gaps left by the suspension of sporting events - weekly prime-time coronavirus specials on BBC One, podcasts filmed for BBC’s News Channel, crisis phone-ins, programmes for health and wellbeing advice, education programming for school children, and virtual church services on Sunday mornings. A daytime programme on BBC One will address concerns of viewers in isolation, and ITV has a new weekly coronavirus report to ‘give viewers in-depth insights into issues affecting them during the crisis’.

A national day of prayer and action for the global pandemic of coronavirus has been organised for this Sunday. The organisers are Archbishop Justin Welby, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Revd Dr Hugh Osgood (the Free Churches Moderator), Archbishop Angaelos of London (the Orthodox Church) and Pastor Agu Irukwu, the Pentecostal representative. They write, ‘This Mothering Sunday we are calling all churches to a national day of prayer and action. At this time, when so many are fearful and there is great uncertainty, we are reminded of our dependence on our loving Heavenly Father and the future that he holds. At 7pm this Sunday, light a candle of hope in the windows of your homes as a visible symbol of the light of life, Jesus Christ, our source and hope in prayer.’ Also churches are looking to livestream services. The Baptist Union hosted an online prayer broadcast, with 2,300 joining in, and has a number of resources online.

Over 250 million Europeans are in full or partial lockdown as Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain and France have closed schools and all non-essential shops and ordered people to stay at home. Italians in lockdown sing together from their balconies to boost morale and put candles in their windows in support of emergency workers, pharmacists, doctors, and all those putting their lives at risk. Pray for God’s protection over all these people. Italian children are making signs that say, ‘We will overcome this’. In France and Italy only one person from each household can go shopping. May God convict residents to comply with the government rules regardless of inconvenience. Intensive care in some regional care systems are ‘close to collapse’, despite efforts to free up hospital beds. Outside China, two-thirds of all cases and three-quarters of all deaths are in Europe. Europe has now recorded 600 more deaths than China.

The Willow Creek 2020 Leadership Conference in Germany started on 27 February with 7,400 attendees, but ended abruptly after one of the speakers contracted coronavirus. The speaker was never present during the event, but was involved with the preparations. Three people who had contact with him have since tested positive for coronavirus. Also an EU prayer meeting due to take place in Zagreb was cancelled due to coronavirus. Pray for the organisers of the many planned 2020 gatherings to make wise decisions due to health and safety issues. Pray also for the plight of homeless refugees as borders and societies close down. See also

Israel’s government has approved emergency regulations to enable the Shin Bet to perform mass surveillance of phones belonging to Israelis who contracted COVID-19. This is not to monitor quarantined people, but to track the movements of those found to be coronavirus carriers, to see with whom they interacted in the 14 days before they were diagnosed. Those who were contacted will receive SMS messages instructing them to enter home quarantine. Netanyahu announced the use of these digital counterterrorism measures, as one of several drastic steps to curb the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. He acknowledged that the digital measures might interfere with people’s privacy, but he argued that Taiwan has successfully used similar means in order to stop the coronavirus spread. Public criticism and warnings by human rights groups mean that authorities must limit these measures to only thirty days.

Pray for China, Italy, Spain, South Korea, and Iran, where thousands are suffering the loss of loved ones and millions suffer isolation from the outside world. Thank God for all the healthcare workers dedicated to care for the sick. May our political leaders not suffer the stress that can invade all those in decision-making positions over containing contamination. May they have Godly wisdom and a calm approach to all decisions. Many are suffering the fear of ‘going without’, causing items to disappear from shops’ shelves. Pray for this fear to be overridden with a spirit of sharing and concern for others. We are surrounded by negative news and social media. Without dismissing the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak, let us remember to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). For ten further prayer needs, click the ‘More’ button.

Iran has temporarily released tens of thousands of prisoners in recent weeks to stop the spread of coronavirus. Among these prisoners is British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe She will be required to wear an ankle tag and remain within 300 metres of her parents' home. ‘The issue now is to make it permanent’, her husband Richard said. Pray for this to be the beginning of a permanent release for her. Meanwhile Iran has recorded the highest toll of deaths outside China and Italy. WHO said that 15% of Iran’s deaths were aged under 40. This is unprecedented, as across the world death rate the under 50’s is well below 1%. An Iranian pulmonologist said, ‘Realistically, at this point, the reported sick cases are 1 million.’ As a measure of Iran's desperation, it has requested a $5billion emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund - the first time they have sought western help for sixty years. See