The ban on church gatherings while schools are left open during the lockdown is inappropriate. It shows a gross misconception about what the church is and what the church does. Amongst several things, the church is a place of worship but also importantly a place of learning. The church is a school; it is the school of Believers. If the government feels it okay not to enforce virtual learning for schools, then the churches shouldn't be constrained to virtual services. 

Whatever the justification may be for keeping schools remaining open with hundreds of students present, that should be sufficient enough to keep churches open. Whatever guidance is provided to schools for social distancing et al, that should be applied to churches.

The church is a more controlled environment and therefore poses a far less risk of COVID-19 contraction than in schools and even some shops. In contrast to school opening hours, the church services typically would vary from 1 to 3 - 4 hours depending on the denomination.

I therefore would request that the government review its rules, giving the churches the opportunity to decide for themselves whether or not to open and leave people with the choice of whether or not to go for in-person services.