The bishop, who was formerly the Bishop of Reading and is soon to become the next Archbishop of York, said the clergy would be banned from entering wards treating patients presenting with symptoms of the coronavirus.

In a letter to the clergy, the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Right Rev Stephen Cottrell, urged the clergy to take the medical given.

In a letter seen by The Times, the Right Rev Stephen Cottrell, whose authority the capital's newly transformed Nightingale Hospital falls, said members of the church needed to maintain 'an extremely strict discipline regarding contact'.

The announcement comes as 13 members of the church were told it would be unsafe to lend their services to patients being treated by London's Barts Health NHS Trust, which currently has only two Anglican chaplains that cover their five hospitals in the city.

Meanwhile deputy head of chaplaincy at St Barts Hospital, Tasha Critchlow, said the hospital would welcome those who could provide end-of-life care and solace to those dying.

She told The Times: 'The hospital would welcome qualified professional volunteers who can give end-of-life care and provide solace.

'We would train them and given them personal protective equipment (PPE).'

The announcement comes just weeks after the Church of England banned all its services until further notice due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The ban comes just weeks after the Church of England banned all its services until further notice due.

Following the Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement that members of the public should practice social distancing in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus, the Archbishop of Canterbury announced that public worship would be 'suspended until further notice'.

In a joint letter, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, Justin Welby and John Sentamu respectively, said it was 'necessary to put public services on hold'.

The archbishops wrote: 'Being a part of the Church of England is going to look very different in the days ahead.

'Our life is going to be less characterised by attendance at church on Sunday, and more characterised by the prayer and service we offer each day.

'We may not be able to pray with people in the ways that we are used to, but we can certainly pray for people. And we can certainly offer practical care and support.'

They added: 'This is a defining moment for the Church of England. Are we truly are a church for all, or just the church for ourselves.

'We urge you sisters and brothers to become a different sort of church in these coming months: hopeful and rooted in the offering of prayer and praise and overflowing in service to the world.'

The latest move comes as the nation continues to control the surge in coronavirus cases which has now hit 55,242.

Yesterday health officials also confirmed that 7,095 people in the country have now died from Covid-19.

Read more: Coronavirus: Bishop bans clergy from bedsides of the sick and dying | News | The Times:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/coronavirus-bishop-bans-clergy-from-bedsides-of-the-sick-and-dying-srwc89n5j