Temperature Taking Recommendation

There have been a few recent incidents in which key volunteers came to a parish for a Sunday Mass and helped to organize the Mass, and then tested positive later that day for COVID-19. In two of the cases the parishioner ended up hospitalized later that day. In one case the parish will now have to close for several weeks.

The incident where the parish is closed occurred with someone who did attend Sunday Masses, but also worked closely with the parish lay and clergy staff as the daily Masses were streamed thus exposing them, requiring a different response (temporary closure).

Going forward, in every parish of the Archdiocese of Boston, every staff member and volunteer (priest, deacon, usher, Eucharistic Minister, lector, musician, technology help, etc.) will have to have a temperature check before coming into the church, using the non-touch infrared thermometers with which parishes have been supplied. If the person’s temperature exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit they may not come into the church.

If it is the priest who is sick, and no covering priest can be found, Mass may have to be canceled.

This policy applies to all uses of the church, including daily Masses, Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals.