After the press release from the President of the French Republic, Mr. Emanuel Macron this Thursday, March 12 in the evening, as well as the indications from the Belgian government about the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), and given the seriousness of the evolution of the health situation in recent days where thousands of lives are affected, the Union of Seventh-day Adventist Federations of France, Belgium and Luxembourg (UFB), in agreement with the offices of the Federations of Northern France (FFN), Southern France (FFS) and Belgo-Luxembourg (FBL), calls for the closure on their territory of all churches and worship places as of this Saturday, March 14 2020 and this, until further notice.
As a Church, it is our duty to take the recommended precautionary measures and to provide, both to our members and to civil society, the assurance of our full collaboration and concrete participation in the global effort to limit the risks associated with this virus.
The federal offices (FFN, FFS, FBL) and the UFB office are closely monitoring the evolution of the health situation in these territories to determine, in the coming days, the duration of this preventive closure.
Of course, the UFB and each federation are aware that this recommendation presents local churches with new challenges. Each federation will offer alternatives and resources in the coming hours and/or days to follow online worship services.