Milwaukee churches take precautions for coronavirus

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Rev. Kevin Carroll at All Saints Cathedral in Milwaukee sent his parishioners a letter on coronavirus Friday.

There were no mandates, but there were guidelines.

"We want to be in front of this, and be cautious about it, but not let it dictate how our common life is really lived out," Carroll said.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee sent leaders a letter this week instructing them to remind parishioners to stay home if sick, use standard cleaning procedure for the communion chalice, provide hand sanitizer, and let parishioners know it is OK to avoid physical contact during signs of peace.

You can find the full letter here.

"If they want to shake hands fine," Carroll said. "And if they want to fist bump, or elbow bump, or just simply bow and say hello and peace to you, that will be fine."

Others are taking even more precautions. The Chinese christian Church of Milwaukee installed two hand sanitizer pumps for anyone entering the building. The church stopped all services for two weeks in January, but they have resumed,  even though some classes and lunch services are suspended.

"If you've been in the area affected by coronavirus we ask that you stay home for 14 days," Pastor Steve Chu said.

They now have individually wrapped communion wafers and told their 250 parishioners that they can wear masks to service.

"We just want to do this to be a service to our community, and protect our community as well," Chu said.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee says if their recommendations ever turn into a list of requirements for a service, they will let the public know.