Church takes precautions against swine flu

Archbishop Nicholas Chia of Singapore has issued precautionary measures to be observed at Mass in view of the feared spread of swine flu around the globe.

In a recent e-mail sent to all parish priests, Archbishop Chia instructed that Communion not be given on the tongue, that people avoid shaking hands during the sign of peace at Mass, and that holy water fonts not be filled.

In addition, the archbishop said people who have a fever or cold should be advised not to attend church services.

These precautions have been announced on the archdiocesan website and in parish bulletins over the weekend.

As of May 4, no cases of the H1N1 influenza virus have been detected in Singapore, although dozens of cases have been investigated. Singapore recently upgraded its alert state from yellow to orange on its disease outbreak response system, a five-color scale that ranges from green to yellow, orange, red and, for the most serious situation, black.

The Ministry of Health has restricted visitors hospitals and required Churches to suspend Communion services to Catholic patients indefinitely. Parish newsletters have also advised Catholics to come to church to receive the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick before being admitted to hospital.

At least one Christian church has deployed the use of infrared temperature sensors at its entrance to monitor persons with fever among its congregation, media reported.

The situation is reminiscent of the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic in 2003, which killed 33 and infected 205 others, who later recovered.

The epidemic was effectively isolated and contained through a series of measures including the quarantine of suspected cases, temperature checks at all hospitals, schools and places of mass gatherings, and penalties for violations of the Infectious Diseases Act.

During that crisis, Singapore archdiocese also suspended catechism classes and children´s liturgy programs, discouraged people from holding hands during the Lord´s Prayer at Mass, and stopped administering Communion on the tongue. Parish canteens and libraries were shut down indefinitely, and many programs were canceled. Instead of hearing confessions individually, priests gave general absolution.

In an April 30 press conference, however, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan told the press that “what worked during SARS may not be effective this time round.”

He noted that hospitals were the main source of disease transmission during the SARS epidemic, but now it is more likely that people could get infected within the community. In addition, SARS carriers were detectable because of high fever, whereas swine flu carriers “can look healthy like you and me” and may not even know they are carrying the disease.

The minister noted that until a vaccine was readily available, the only way to control the spread was social distancing and a very high standard of personal hygiene.