Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to publish for what reasons places of worship are not included in the initial easing of covid-19 lockdown measures.

The ongoing closure of places of worship reflects the need to limit social contact in indoor spaces, where the risk of infection is higher. We recognise that transparency is important in these unprecedented times. We have therefore published the statements and the accompanying evidence to demonstrate how our understanding of COVID-19 has continued to evolve as new data emerges, and how the advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies has quickly adapted to new findings that reflect a changing situation.

The scientific evidence supporting the government response to COVID-19 can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage-coronavirus-covid-19-response