Britain's Bishop of Chelmsford has advised removing fonts containing holy water to prevent the spread of Mexican flu or (A) H1N1.
The Right Reverend John Gladwin says the measure is not meant to create panic but "the water contained in stoops can easily become a source of infection and a means of rapidly spreading the virus".
In a set of directives sent to priests in Essex County, the Bishop advised sending churchgoers with flu symptoms home and also advised against visiting sick parishioners. However, he added that if someone was close to death, priests should visit but take strict precautionary measures, including surgical gloves, masks and gowns, to prevent the spread of disease.
The UK has recorded around 7,000 Mexican flu infections and 17 deaths, Europe's highest number of H1N1 fatalities.
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