Editor’s note: This article was updated 3/5. See the bottom of this page
for the most recent diocesan statement related to the coronavirus and FAQs from
the Arlington County Public Health Division.
The new threat of the coronavirus has
led to less hand shaking and more hand sanitizing at Sunday Masses in recent
weeks. While the Centers for Disease Control say there’s a low risk of
contracting the coronavirus in the United States at this time, the diocesan
Office of Risk Management still advised pastors to put precautions in place.
In an email Feb. 13, the office
recommended that parishes, “consider suspending the use of a common chalice
during Communion, add hand sanitizers at church entrances, consider temporarily
suspending shaking hands during the Sign of Peace and post a statement on the
parish website and in the weekly bulletins asking people with known symptoms of
influenza to refrain from attending Mass and other parish activities for the
duration of their illness and up to 24 hours after the symptoms abate.” Many have
implemented those changes.
The Office of Catholic Schools similarly
sent out a statement based on recommendations from health officials. “The
Office of Catholic Schools is monitoring national, state and local responses to
the possibility of an outbreak,” said Joseph Vorbach, diocesan superintendent
of schools. “(We) will be in regular communication with school leadership about
appropriate adjustments to the Pandemic Response Plan as dictated by new
developments and CDC guidance.”
As there are no cases of COVID-19, or
coronavirus, infection in Virginia as of March 3, health departments do not
recommend school closures at this time. However, the CDC has issued warnings
for several countries seeing cases of the virus, and students, teachers and
faculty who recently traveled to said countries must contact their school to
discuss their safe return. In some cases, they may need to self-isolate for up
to 14 days upon return to the U.S.
Susan Infeld, parish nurse at St. John
Neumann Church in Reston, has placed laminated posters featuring soap bubbles,
a crown and the phrase “Stay Calm and Wash your Hands” in church restrooms,
adding a bit of levity to the important advice. As with many health
professionals, she recommends frequent hand washing, disinfecting frequently
used objects in the home, avoiding contained crowds, eating a healthy diet,
daily exercise, adequate sleep and reducing stress to prevent contracting the
illness.
“As we pray that the coronavirus be
eradicated and a cure or vaccine found, we all must take responsibility and do
our part to stop the spread,” she wrote in a message to parishioners. “Our
individual and collective efforts can be powerful in arresting this potentially
deadly virus.”
Precautions have been taken at churches
and holy sites worldwide. The French Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes announced
that pilgrims were still welcome, but the pools the sick bathe in hoping for
healing would be closed temporarily. "Our first concern will always be the
safety and health of the pilgrims and the shrine's working community,"
said a note posted Feb. 28 on the shrine's website. "As a precaution, the
pools have been closed until further notice."
In the center of Rome, the French Church
of St. Louis, home of three famous Caravaggio paintings, closed March 1 because
a priest who had been resident at the church tested positive for the
coronavirus upon returning to France Feb. 28 and was hospitalized. The
42-year-old priest was in satisfactory condition, the Archdiocese of Paris
said.
The other two dozen members of the
community of French priests at St. Louis were placed under a precautionary
quarantine. The members included a priest who worked for Vatican Media in the
former Vatican Radio building.
Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery
for Communication, wrote to Vatican media employees March 2, saying the
quarantine was expected to be brief, since the priest who tested positive for
the virus left Rome in mid-February; he had traveled to several cities in
northern Italy, where the outbreak has been much worse. In addition, the
Vatican media employee had no symptoms.
"As a prudential measure,"
Ruffini said, the Vatican City health and hygiene service "sanitized and
cleaned the office of our colleague and common areas" of the building.
The French Embassy to the Holy See
announced late March 2 that Italian health officials had lifted the quarantine
on the community at St. Louis Church and that the church would reopen to the
public March 4.
Many European churches have emptied holy
water fonts and several dioceses recommended Catholics receive Communion only
in the hand. Large indoor meetings, conferences and Lenten reflections
scheduled for March also were canceled or postponed, including a meeting in
Assisi, Italy, March 26-28 called "The Economy of Francis." The
international gathering of young adult activists, economists, scholars and
entrepreneurs to discuss creating a more inclusive economy was supposed to
include a closing address by Pope Francis. The meeting has been postponed until
November.
The Italian civil protection service
said 1,577 people in Italy had the coronavirus as of 6 p.m. March 1. A total of
1,694 people had tested positive since the beginning of the outbreak; 83 recovered
and 34 people had died. Only about one-third of those who tested positive
required hospitalization; the others were being treated at home.
Cindy Wooden from Catholic News Service
contributed to this article.

Diocesan response to coronavirus concerns
Various office directors and members of senior leadership at the
Diocese of Arlington have been
communicating actively and meeting with county public health departments
and communicating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to
ensure that all diocesan parishes, schools, ministries and charities are
responding appropriately to the spread of the coronavirus and other infectious
diseases.
Local experts have briefed the diocese and made clear that
Arlington and surrounding counties currently have taken a posture of prevention
of the coronavirus until circumstances change. As such, our current response is
oriented toward avoiding the spread of the disease and preparing in the event
that occurrences of coronavirus were to appear within the Northern Virginia or
Washington area.
Based on CDC guidance and out of an abundance of caution, the diocese
reissued recommendations to parishes, which had been suggested previously.
These protocols currently are left to the discretion of each pastor:
— Suspend the use of a common chalice during Holy Communion.
— Provide hand sanitizer at church entrances.
— Suspend the shaking of hands during the Sign of Peace.
All expert opinions highlight the critical need to wash hands regularly
with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching your eyes, nose and
mouth as much as possible, and covering your mouth with a tissue or sleeve (not
your hands) when sneezing or coughing.
The diocese asks our employees and parishioners exhibiting common
symptoms of illness (fever, cough, body aches) to:
— Not report to work until 24 hours after symptoms abate;
— Refrain from attending Mass and other parish activities and
diocesan events until 24 hours after symptoms abate.
Those who refrain from attending Mass due to illness should
consider devoting an hour to prayer, observing Mass on television or the
internet, and/or praying a rosary. While nothing can replace attending and
participating in Sunday Mass or receiving Holy Communion, those who refrain
from Sunday Mass due to illness have not committed a mortal sin. When sick,
observing the Sabbath with another holy devotion and prayer demonstrates good
will and sincerity.
Diocesan leadership will continue to be in contact with public
health officials who are monitoring the situation, and we will assess whether a
different response is needed as circumstances change.