Faith communities across the country reacted with dismay to the government’s announcement that all collective religious worship must stop, for at least four weeks. There was no mention of religious services in the prime minister’s initial statements on television and in Parliament, but news of these restrictions appeared later on a government website – almost, it seemed, as an afterthought. But not a very deep one. No evidence was given as to why they were necessary, nor had any of the interested parties been consulted in advance.

The first protest came within a few hours from Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster and Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool. They said the closure of Catholic churches for public services would cause “deep anguish” and no evidence “whatsoever” had been produced to justify the “hardship, distress and suffering” that would result.