The apex Christian body in Nigeria, Christian Association of Nigeria has submitted her guidelines for the reopening of worship centres across the nati
The apex Christian body in Nigeria, Christian Association of Nigeria has submitted her guidelines for the reopening of worship centres across the nation with statements that worship centres may open in the first Sunday in June.
In a meeting yesterday, part of the recommendations by CAN was that churches should disinfect their premises before reopening while physical distancing should be observed in sitting arrangement with a one-metre space between two worshippers. Churches should also make available alcoholic sanitizer, temperature readers, soap and water in the churches. Every worshipper is also expected to put on a face mask.
They added that for a start, churches should hold one-hour services and that all Sunday services should end by 5:30pm. CAN also constituted a committee alongside law enforcement agencies to ensure compliance.
The CAN President, Reverend Supo Ayokunle said, “As a law-abiding institution, the Church in Nigeria and the Christian Association that binds all of us together complied, hitherto, with government’s directive suspending churches services for the past eight weeks now. The Church is well prepared for resumption of worship. We in discussions with the agents of the Federal Government are drawing the guidelines that Churches would follow in order not to endanger the life of any worshipper and equally prevent COVID-19 infection.
“We are sure of compliance if the government allows our compliance team to work hand-in-hand with their law enforcement agents to monitor compliance. If the government didn’t entertain any fear in opening markets and banks, which are not as organized as the church, why should government entertain fear about the compliance of the churches? We are hopeful that latest, by the first Sunday in June, all our churches would open again for congregational worship under COVID-19 prevention regulation. As I said before, we are consulting with the government on this”.
This offers hope for the gathering of the saints in the nation again and also offers greater hope for the end of the pandemic in the world.
