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Published in: Journal of Religion and Health 1/2021

01-02-2021 | COVID-19 | Original Paper

New Zealand Religious Community Responses to COVID-19 While Under Level 4 Lockdown

Authors: Theis Oxholm, Catherine Rivera, Kearly Schirrman, William James Hoverd

Published in: Journal of Religion and Health | Issue 1/2021

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Abstract

Social scientific research into the impact of COVID-19 on religious communities is emergent. This research combines interview data (n = 12) collected, as New Zealand moved into Level 3—Restrict and then Level 4—Lockdown, with Facebook and online news media analysis to understand how religious leaders and their communities responded to COVID-19. Our data found four challenges: (1) The requirement to reassess worship practices, (2) the need to mitigate any potential for community transmission, (3) significant difficulties related to social distancing for communal religious practices, and lastly, (4) welfare and pastoral concerns for congregations and others in need.
Footnotes
1
The research project entitled Religion, State and Cohesion Project has been assessed as low risk by Massey University Research Ethics under the Ethics Notification Number: 4000022282.
 
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Metadata
Title
New Zealand Religious Community Responses to COVID-19 While Under Level 4 Lockdown
Authors
Theis Oxholm
Catherine Rivera
Kearly Schirrman
William James Hoverd
Publication date
01-02-2021
Publisher
Springer US
Keyword
COVID-19
Published in
Journal of Religion and Health / Issue 1/2021
Print ISSN: 0022-4197
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6571
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01110-8

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