Italy is set to lift its ban on religious services due to COVID-19, weeks earlier than expected, following a Thursday meeting between the nation’s bishops and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
The reopening will include strict guidelines when it begins on May 18. This news comes just days after Catholic church leaders in Italy called out the government for “arbitrarily excluding the possibility of celebrating Mass with the people,” The Daily Telegraph reported.
Priests will be required to wear gloves when distributing communion and must clean and disinfect the church, along with the sacred objects they use during services.
Churchgoers will have to wear masks and stay at least one meter apart, according to The Telegraph. Houses of worship will also forgo collection plates in favor of containers that will be placed at the entrance of each church.