Eucharistic Practice and the Risk of Infection

What can be done by Altar Guild Members to Further Reduce the risks of infection:

Chalices should be washed with soap and water following each Eucharistic liturgy, rinsed with hot water and allowed to dry without further wiping./

A 30 second-hand wash will eliminate 95% of all bacteria. Altar Guild members and others who handle wafers in preparation for the Eucharist should therefore make sure that they have washed their hands before they handle any wafers which will be used at the Eucharist.

If I have a cold, what should I do to keep others from catching it?

If you have the 'flu, a cold, or a cold core, then don't drink from the cup or dip the wafer into it. Receive your communion in the form of the bread alone.

It must be stressed that: the present use of the common cup is normal for Anglican churches, follows the practice of the universal church from its beginning until well into the middle ages, and poses no real hazzard to health in normal circumstance.