Kwara State government has given conditions to reopen worship centres from Friday, June 5...
Kwara State government has given conditions to reopen worship centres from Friday, June 5.
Mr Kayode Alabi, the Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Technical Committee on COVID-19, while briefing newsmen in Ilorin on Wednesday, said worship centers will reopen if they satisfy certain criteria already agreed with various religious bodies in the State.
One of the conditions is that Muslim women are not to return to the mosques till further notice.
The decision was made after the Kwara State Technical Committee on COVID-19 meeting with the leadership of the Muslim and Christian communities, including the Jama’atu Nasrul Islam (JNI) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
“We are definitely not out of the woods as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, especially because of violation of travel restrictions.
“The meeting with religious leaders centered around whether or not to reopen the worship centres across the state, as suggested by the Federal Government.
”However, in line with the presidential advisory and the positions of our religious umbrella bodies in the state, worship centres may reopen from June 5, provided they satisfy the following conditions:
“Worship centres shall be organised by the respective head of the congregation in such a way that one attendant is at least one metre away from the next.
”Each worship centre shall make provisions for hand washing or hand sanitiser and infrared thermometer
”Wearing of face masks shall be mandatory for all worshippers, no hand shaking or hugging among worshippers,” he said.
The government said if worship centers reopen, children and people above 65 or persons with underlying health conditions should stay away.
The government added that ablution spots will not be made available for now as Muslims are urged to perform that at home.
“Muslims should perform ablution from their own houses. Ablution spots are not allowed for now to avoid the spread of the virus.
”Muslim women should stay away from mosques, as suggested by the leadership of the Muslim community in the state.
“Each worship centre must dedicate a few minutes before service or prayers to educate attendants about COVID-19 and its dangers,” the deputy governor added.
He added that the government’s Rapid Response Team (RRT) shall conduct random visits to worship centres to take samples and do temperature checks.
According to the deputy governor, the religious leaders shall be held responsible for non compliance with all COVID-19-related safety measures in their worship centres.
He stressed that all the conditions were agreed to by the religious bodies, adding that any worship centre which violated the conditions would be shut down.
