Cobb County

Metro Atlanta Catholic churches taking precautions against coronavirus

Catholic church leaders in Atlanta are taking steps to protect parishioners from coronavirus.

More than a million Catholics live in metro Atlanta.

Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Chris Jose was in Smyrna, where Archdiocese officials are urging pastors to review their crisis management plans.

The archdiocese said there is no need to panic, but the time to prepare is now. Leaders emailed a memo on Friday to every Catholic church in metro Atlanta. On Sunday, parishioners saw two big changes at Mass.

Maureen Smith, communications director for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, said the communion of wine will be suspended indefinitely. It's up to individual pastors to decide whether or not to suspend the exchange of peace, which involves shaking hands or hugging.

"You really have to think about those vulnerable populations," Smith said.

Smith said the last time these kinds of precautions were taken was during the H1N1 flu outbreak.

"As you know, that was a big deal here," Smith said. "There was a lot of infection."

Smith said the archdiocese is closely watching the situation to protect its churches and Catholic schools. Leaders will follow recommendations from the state health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"You also have parishes where people do have health concerns, and you have to take those people into consideration," Smith said.

The archdiocese said school administrators are always watching for illness that may be going around at school. Leaders said if they have to expand precautionary measures, they will.