Important! New law regarding a maximum of 8 persons for public gatherings

Important! New law regarding a maximum of 8 persons for public gatherings

There seems to be a lot of uncertainty about how our fellowship should act in the very unusual and temporary situation we are facing right now. A situation that we have never experienced before. Therefore, the Chairman of CASSO has today been in talks with the Government Offices and the Public Health Agency of Sweden and has been told the following by these two authorities:

  • A proposal to ban public gatherings of more than 8 people has been submitted to the government. 

  • As of 24 November, the maximum number of public gatherings will be limited to a maximum of 8 people across the country if this goes ahead. 

  • A CA meeting is covered by the freedom of assembly and therefore counts as a public gathering.

  • Of course, there will certainly be loopholes in this ban as with everything else in life. But that is not what we should focus on now.

  • So if this goes through, it is a ban and not a recommendation. In practice, this means that violating the ban could result in a fine or up to 6 months in prison.

  • The person being prosecuted, should this be breached, is then the chairman of CA Sweden.

  • Preventing the spread of infection is a priority.

  • It is also worth mentioning that CA World has issued information to Sweden that all countries should follow their own country's guidelines. For us in Sweden, the recommendations, rules and laws set by the Government and the Public Health Agency of Sweden apply.

What does this mean for CA Sweden?

That we should follow the recommendations, rules and laws set by the Government and the Public Health Agency of Sweden. This is a time when every group needs to think carefully about how we can benefit society in the best possible way. And also think about CA's good reputation and CA as a whole. 

 

What should a group do if we cannot guarantee that there will be no more than 8 participants? 

CASSO will not tell you what to do. But we can share some experiences so far in the pandemic that seem to have worked.

  •  Many groups have chosen to close down their meetings and go completely digital.

  • Some groups have not had to make this decision themselves as the owner of the property has closed the premises. 

  • In Gothenburg, one group has limited the number of participants in the venue to a few service people who take care of any newcomers. 

  • In Borlänge, a group has completely switched to digital meeting but has a member of the service group standing outside the premises, meeting up with potential newcomers and talking to them outdoors. 

 

If the group decides to shut down their meeting for a limited time, do they have to switch to digital meetings for their home group?

No, of course not. There are currently lots of CA meetings available digitally every day. If you still want to start a digital meeting, the group is more than welcome to do so. Just remember to report any meeting changes on the website. So the newcomer knows where to turn to take part of the solution.

 

With this, we hope that we have been able to answer your questions and that we have also clearly emphasized the seriousness of the situation and the importance of us as fellowship being part of the solution instead of the problem of the spread of infection.  

If there are other questions, email us at casso@ca-sweden.se.

Stay safe.

/CASSO