The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has released fresh guidelines as worship places, including churches and mosques, reopen amid the Coronavirus Disease containment move by the country.
The guidelines are:
• There should be no entry without face masks. All attendees and religious leaders must wear a face mask
• People who are sick should not go to places of worship.
• There should be temperature screening on entry
• Hand washing facilities and hand sanitizers should be provided at point of entries and strategic points
• Attendance at religious settings should not exceed 1/3 of sitting capacity
• Religious centres should be clearly marked such that people sit and maintain two metres distance from each other
• There should be no form of direct contact.
• Practices such as handshakes as peace signs are discouraged
• Practices that require sharing of materials should be limited. For example, ablution should be performed at home
• Religious centres should be disinfected routinely, before and after worship
The directives from the NCDC followed the review of recent restriction measures by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. The NCDC said this was to ensure safe gatherings and prevent exposures to COVID-19 infection in religious settings.
It said: “In several countries, COVID-19 outbreaks have been linked to large gatherings, including religious and non-religious gatherings….
Accordingly, “The guidelines developed by NCDC provides additional requirements to ensure that places of worship are safe…..In the absence of a vaccine, Nigeria and the rest of the world must depend on public health, social measures and supportive management of confirmed cases. We urge all Nigerians to take individual and collective responsibility by adhering to public health advice”.
