Glasgow's places of worship adapt for life with Covid-19

Now, after being placed under lock and key during the Covid-19 pandemic, the city's places of worship can finally look forward to welcoming their faithful again. 

Churches, temples, and mosques were given the go-ahead by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to resume communal worship on Wednesday, a move hailed by religious leaders across the country.

The make-up of gatherings will be very different, however, with face coverings, one-way systems, and, most strikingly, a ban on singing among measures put in place to stop the virus’ spread. 

In Scottish Episcopal Churches changes to worship will also include differences to how communion is celebrated. 

“There will be lots of limitations on what can be done,” said the Rev Cannon Gordon Fyfe, synod clerk of the Glasgow and Galloway Diocese. “But, the fact you can end up back as a community will outweigh that.

“Social distancing will still be enforced, there will be no singing, people will have to wear a mask. 

“I will have to wear a mask or visor when I am administering communion. There will also be lots of washing of hands after bits and pieces of the liturgy.

Rev Cannon Gordon Fyfe

“People will find this difficult and some in the vulnerable category might still be quite wary of returning.” 

The Episcopal Church has been quick to adapt to life under covid, taking its services online and providing frequent updates to congregations. 

It’s something Rev Cannon Fyfe is sure will have benefits in the long run. 

“What we will discover is the creativity we have had to put into using IT to reach people will continue into whatever the future looks like,” he said. “Skills have been used and boundaries have been pushed in being able to respond to the crisis in a creative way.”

In the West End, the Hindu temple is also getting ready to welcome back worshippers next week. 

Signs have been placed throughout and people will also be asked to register their details when they enter the Mandir. 

Andrew Lal, an executive committee member of the La Belle Place temple, said: “When people enter the temple there will be a designated area for their shoes, which is different from before.

“As they climb up the steps, there will be hand sanitiser. They need to register they are present within the temple.

“Once they have said and done their prayers, there will be a different door for coming out. They need to follow the new route to exit the temple. 

“There is also no singing or chanting, which is very unusual for us as we tend to have a bit of prayer. At the moment, this is not allowed and there is also no chanting.

“We also have face coverings, which are compulsory.”

The Hindu community has been as busy as ever during the last few months, delivering thousands of support packages to the local community and offering help to those who need it most. 

They’ve also adapted their services, with priests Acharaya Mishra and Deepak Shashtri sharing prayers via video stream.

Andrew added: “That really kept our spirits high. This made a huge difference to people’s mental health. 

For the Sikh population, the last few months have been as much of a challenge as it has for everyone. 

Worshippers at Glasgow Gurdwara, in Albert Drive, adapted, however, using social media to connect with one another and, despite having to close their community kitchen, finding a way to deliver food to those who needed it. 

They’ve also been finding ways to adapt their worship and can’t wait to return next week. 

Glasgow Gurdwara, in Albert Drive

“All the stickers are in place to tell people how they should go upstairs to the prayer hall,” said Jaspreet Kaur, assistant secretary in the Gurdwara. “All the instructions are very clear.

“This is to limit the interaction between people who visit the Gurdwara. Whenever a visitor comes in they will be given a mask.” 

She added: “We have been delivering around a thousand meals per week and while things have changed we have come together in so many different ways.”