The Federal Government has announced the relaxation of the restriction placed on places of worship as part of measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, announced this during the daily briefing of the panel on Monday.
Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to Government of the Federation, said the ban on inter-state travel is still in place.
He said, “There is a ban on gatherings of more than 20 people outside of a workplace.
“Relaxation of restriction on places of worship based on guidelines issued by the PTF and protocols agreed by state governments.
“Managed access to markets and locations of economic activity to limit the risk of transmission;
“Ban on inter-state travels except for the movement of agricultural produce, petroleum products, manufactured goods, and essential services;
“Mandatory use of non-medical face masks in public places;
“Mandatory provision of handwashing facilities/sanitisers in all public places.”
CAN GUIDELINES
The Christian Association of Nigeria recently expressed hope that the ban on religious gatherings in the country may be lifted by the first Sunday of June.
CAN President, Samson Ayokunle, a reverend, gave the indication in a statement.
Mr. Ayokunle said churches will disinfect their premises, as well as make provisions for alcohol sanitisers, among others.
He also suggested the use of face masks and adherence to other social distancing measures.
The suggested guidelines are stated below:
Churches should disinfect their premises first before they are reopened for services.
Churches should provide alcoholic sanitizers, temperature readers, soap, and water in their premises to be supervised by medical professionals in the Church.
Every worshipper must either use soap to wash their hands or apply sanitizers.
The temperature of every worshipper must be taken before admission into the church and people with high temperatures should not be allowed into the church but be advised to go and see their doctors.
Every worshipper must wear a face mask. Social distancing should be observed in the sitting arrangement with a one-meter gap between two worshippers.
One and a half-hour service is enough for a start. There should be a gap of 25 or 30 minutes between one service and another where there are multiple services to avoid the crowd.
Churches can make use of classrooms and multipurpose halls for services where available, especially in big churches in order to accommodate more worshippers at a go. TV circuits and speakers can be used for those who are not inside the main auditorium.
Handshaking and hugging should be avoided before, during, and after the service. Prayers should be offered to God for a speedy end of COVID-19 and quick recovery of all that are afflicted by the pandemic. Prayers should also be offered for those frontline workers for divine protection.
CAN in each state and local government should constitute a committee together with law enforcement agencies in their area to enforce full compliance.
Such civilian compliance officials should be given backing by the governments to apprehend those who contravene the worship regulations and hand them over to law enforcement agents.
Churches observing Holy Communion service should use a separate cup for each participant.
