REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
There will be an Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial at 2.00 pm on November 8th. This will take place under the guidelines published by HM Government, reproduced below.
Please note that you may attend as a “Passer By”, so long as you observe social distancing rules with people not in your household or bubble.
We have to make all reasonable steps to record attendance. If you are at the service, you could e-mail us below, so we have a contact tracing record if required. These will be deleted in 21 days.
ADVICE FROM GOVERNMENT
What can a Remembrance Sunday event involve?
The Remembrance Sunday event at the National Cenotaph will be adjusted this year to ensure the event is as safe as possible. Local events should be adapted to reflect the same principles. They should:
- be outdoors, as transmission risks are significantly reduced
- be short and focussed on wreath laying, with a reduced march past or parade only if social distancing can be maintained
- take advantage of opportunities for wreath layers to represent wider groups
- any small, military bands should observe social distancing. Buglers can perform outdoors at Remembrance Sunday events.
- keep numbers to a minimum, focussing attendance on those wishing to lay wreaths (more information on who can attend below)
- take reasonable steps to minimise wider public viewing. The public can only attend the event with their own household or those in their support bubble, or individually with one other person from outside their household.
- observe social distancing at all times
Limited communal singing, involving the national anthem and one additional song, is permitted outside for Remembrance Sunday, if additional mitigations are put in place. Steps that will need to be taken are:
- communal singing must be outdoors only
- songs should be a few minutes or less
- there should be 2 metres between attendees
- any surrounding surfaces that are touched should be regularly cleaned
- there must be very clear rules about non-attendance of the symptomatic, those who are isolating as close contacts of a case or who has been advised to do so by NHS Test & Trace and those quarantining
- all relevant rules on gatherings are to be followed
- consideration should be given to the vulnerability of some individuals
Who can attend a Remembrance Sunday event?
Event organisers should keep numbers of those participating in the event to a minimum. For the avoidance of doubt, the following people are legally permitted to attend events to commemorate Remembrance Sunday as participants. Attendees should observe social distancing at all times. Attendees should also take advantage of opportunities for wreath layers to represent wider groups.
- people attending as part of their work (such as local councillors, local faith leaders, the local MP)
- people attending in a voluntary capacity on behalf of a recognised organisation
- members of the armed forces
- veterans of the armed forces, and/or their representatives or carers
Members of the public are legally permitted to stop and watch the event as spectators, but event organisers should take reasonable steps to discourage the public from attending events, and be mindful of the risk that such events pose, especially to veterans who are often elderly.
Where members of the public do attend, they must only attend the event with their own household or those in their support bubble, or one other person (children under school age, as well as those dependent on round-the-clock care, such as those with severe disabilities, who are with their parents will not count towards the limit on 2 people meeting outside) and observe social distancing rules.
Event organisers should review the updated guidance on the clinically extremely vulnerable, and ensure this is taken into account when planning events.
Test and Trace
Event organisers must take reasonable steps to record the contact details of those attending (including those present in a working capacity, and members of the public who stop to spectate).
Event organisers must keep a temporary record of attendees for 21 days, in a way that is manageable, and assist NHS Test and Trace with requests for that data if needed. This could help contain clusters or outbreaks. Further detail can be found in the current Test and Trace guidance.
Those responsible for organising events, and businesses working on an event site, must also keep records of staff working patterns for a period of 21 days.
Many organisations already have systems for recording their attendees. You can find details of how to maintain records.
There is also an NHS App which can be used to log in attendees.
It should be noted that those found not to be compliant with these regulations may be subject to financial penalties.
Please note the legal requirement on recording contact details does not extend to places of worship, however it is strongly advised that recording is put in place where possible.
Communal worship
Remembrance Sunday services are traditionally part of communal worship. From 5 November, places of worship are not permitted to open for communal worship. Celebrants may, however, enter places of worship to broadcast services to their communities and will be able to incorporate Remembrance services as part of this when they do so.
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