SALISBURY, England (AP) – David Halls is not a doctor, nurse or ambulance driver, but he wanted to contribute to the fight against COVID-19. So he did what he knew best: he sat on the bench next to the historic organ in Salisbury Cathedral and started playing.
Halls is one of many people who have turned the 800-year-old cathedral in the south-west of England into a mass vaccination center as the UK rushes to inoculate 50 million people. Their contribution to the effort is to offer a bit of Bach, Handel and even a bit of Rodgers & Hammerstein to the audience as they fight for the ship to get their shots.
“In times of crisis, people come together and want to listen to music; in moments of joy, people want to listen to music, “he told The Associated Press Halls, the cathedral’s music director.” And so I don’t think it’s a surprise the effect of soothing music on people who probably they feel quite stressed for various reasons “.
Salisbury Cathedral, home to one of the best-preserved copies of the Magna Carta and England’s tallest church spire, has been recruited as a vaccination center as the government expands its shooting program to stadiums. football, convention centers and hundreds of local surgeries to expedite delivery.
Hundreds of elderly residents have rolled up their sleeves and been shot in the large nave, which is large enough to gather people and at the same time keep it separate.
It contrasts with 1627, when church leaders closed the doors of the cathedral to prevent people from out of town from passing through Salisbury. Canon Nicholas Papadopulos, dean of the cathedral, says he reflected on this episode with “visceral discomfort” last year when he celebrated the building’s 800th anniversary.
Now, it’s time for a new chapter.
“If these stones could talk, they would talk about moments of incredible joy and moments of incredible sadness,” Halls said. “It feels completely appropriate for the cathedral to be playing its part in trying to turn things around and be part of the vaccinations … Being part of it is a privilege, such a great honor.”
The UK plans to offer a first dose of vaccine to more than 15 million people in mid-February as it targets the country’s oldest and most vulnerable residents in the first phase of the program. Progressively younger groups of people will remain the same, and the government plans to reach everyone over the age of 18 in September.
The need is urgent. The British healthcare system is surprising as doctors and nurses fight a more contagious variant of COVID-19.
Although new infections appear to have peaked, the number of people hospitalized continues to rise. More than 39,000 patients are being treated in UK hospitals, 80% more than during the first peak of the pandemic last April. Britain has reported 93,463 coronavirus-related deaths, more than any other country in Europe and the fifth highest in the world.
The effort in the cathedral is communal and involves many. Organists spent two hours in turns performing the massive “Father Willis,” making sure to disinfect through the middle.
John Challenger, 32, Salisbury’s deputy director of music, said many people who receive the photos are elderly people who are isolated and unable to listen to live music for months.
In addition to playing relaxing music, Challenger used his time on the organ to entertain and evoke memories by playing songs like Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.”
“And in the most frivolous moments I played‘ I like being by the sea ’because, you know, we all want to go on holiday and we couldn’t go where we want,” he said.
Among those listening on Wednesday was 82-year-old Sylvia Parkin, who was coming with her husband, 86. David. They’ve had to stay home a lot for the past ten months, which hasn’t been much fun.
“Today is a journey, isn’t it?” He said cheerfully. “It’s a wonderful place to do an injection.”
And while it may be a long way to the organ loft, people have managed to get their requests delivered.
Halls played Handel’s “Largo” and Bach’s “Jesus, the Joy of Man’s Desire” for an 80-year-old neighbor who had sent an email asking for his favorites to be played at exactly 10:45 p.m. on Saturday morning, just when the needle is inside.
When Halls finished, he looked at the screen showing the organist what was going on downstairs and saw his neighbor waving frantically (windshield wiper style) and thanking him.
“He emailed me later and told me that was the best part of his whole life other than the wedding day,” Halls said. “I think going second is really pretty good.”
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Kearney contributed from Salisbury, England.
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