{"value":{"id":1247741,"askingMemberId":4471,"askingMember":null,"house":"Commons","memberHasInterest":false,"dateTabled":"2020-11-02T00:00:00","dateForAnswer":"2020-11-05T00:00:00","uin":"110179","questionText":"To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the evidential basis is for the closure of covid-19 secure places of worship under the lockdown restrictions announced on 31 October 2020; and what assessment he has made using public health data of the level of infection from those places of worship during the covid-19 outbreak.","answeringBodyId":7,"answeringBodyName":"Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government","isWithdrawn":false,"isNamedDay":true,"groupedQuestions":[],"answerIsHolding":false,"answerIsCorrection":false,"answeringMemberId":4450,"answeringMember":null,"correctingMemberId":null,"correctingMember":null,"dateAnswered":"2020-11-05T00:00:00","answerText":"<p>The Government has listened carefully to the views of the scientific community, in particular the information from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and its sub-groups when taking decisions on the best way to tackle the pandemic. SAGE advice continues to inform the decisions made by the Government, including the announcement made on 31 October.</p><p>In view of the increase in the R Rate, we had to take action to reduce the level of infection to protect our communities and save lives which is why we made the decision to close a broad range of premises, including places of worship for communal prayer. These measures are designed to limit the number of interactions that people have and therefore reduce the risk spread.</p><p>Data and scientific advice informing the fight against COVID-19 are published on gov.uk and specific relevant findings are shared in presentations accompanying significant policy announcements.</p><p> </p>","originalAnswerText":"","comparableAnswerText":"","dateAnswerCorrected":null,"dateHoldingAnswer":null,"attachmentCount":0,"heading":"Coronavirus: Religious Buildings","attachments":[],"groupedQuestionsDates":[]},"links":[{"rel":"self","href":"/Questions/1247741","method":"GET"}]}