York Minster has closed to the public from today (Tuesday) in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The cathedral closed to sightseeing visitors on 31 December when York moved into Tier 3, but has now also closed for public services and private prayer.
Clergy will continue to offer prayer inside the cathedral on a daily basis and services will be live-streamed on Sundays so people can join worship from their homes.
The Dean of York, The Right Revd Dr Jonathan Frost, said: “We feel this is the right decision in the current climate to keep our staff, volunteers, visitors and congregations safe.
“We will review the decision on a regular basis. In the meantime, our clergy will continue to keep the regular pattern of daily prayer within the cathedral and we will continue to offer worship online so people can join us from the comfort of their own homes.”
Members of the public can send a prayer to be said in the cathedral by a member of the clergy by emailing [email protected].
The cathedral will also continue to livestream its Sunday services at 11am and 4pm via its website so people can join the services from home.
Dean’s Park, the green space to the north of the cathedral, will remain open on a daily basis from 10am to 4pm.
