The Bishop of Manchester, Rt Rev David Walker told Premier Church would be looking for different for a while as church services would no longer be meeting under current government guidance for no mass gatherings.

Rt Rev David Walker told Premier: "It is very sad that we're in a situation where the health crisis is so severe that we have to take these measures, but I think they are appropriate in all the circumstances.

"It's going to be a change as to how we are Church. We are not going to be doing business as usual, but we are very much going to be open for business. 

"What's important is that churches are open and that people can come in to them to pray and that the clergy in particular and other licensed ministers will say daily prayers, among themselves at set times to hold all people up before God in prayer, and then that we are out serving our communities in whatever way we can. 

"It could be really important that we keep things like our food banks, our winter night shelters and a lot of our things that meet the needs of the neediest working if we possibly can."

Many churches are looking into different ways to do church whilst the ban of mass gatherings is in place on recommendation by the government, in order to curtail the coronavirus outbreak.