Churches take precautions to prevent spread

PD Team

Churches across the country at  the weekend enforced strict measures following the confirmation of the first case of coronavirus in the country on Friday.

Disinfecting of hands before accessing places of worship was the new routine in most churches.

At the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi, worshipers were asked to comply with the hygiene measures as well as adhere to a directive issued by the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“We strongly exhort the priests to observe the highest level of hygiene in the liturgical celebration  ceremonies,” the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement.

At the Holy Family Basilica, All Saints’ Cathedral and St. Andrews Church in Nairobi, the faithful were advised not to put offering in the baskets and instead drop it at designated areas.

Daniel Agustus, an usher at the Holy Family Basilica, said due to the reality of Covid-19, the faithful were advised not to receive the Holy Communion on the tongue but use the hands instead. 

“The breaking of the bread has, however, been maintained,” he said, noting that what had changed is the method of receiving the Holy Communion. 

Across the churches in the city, the level of compliance with the government directive to observe high level of hygiene was noted.

At the All Saints’ Cathedral, the Provost Samuel Wainaina encouraged worshippers to use special precautions during service and parish activities to minimise the spread of Covid-19.

Many churches in Nakuru provided their faithful with hand sanitisers which were placed at the entrance. 

“If we stayed at home then the devil would have won so we decided to come to church and pray,” said a worshipper at Christ the King Cathedral in Nakuru. 

In Mombasa, churches and tourist hotels enforced precautionary measures for worshippers and hotel guests by issuing hygiene and safety advisories. 

A spot-check by People Daily established that churches had complied with the directive to provide hand sanitisers even as some churches experienced low turnout.

At  the Holy Ghost Cathedral in Mombasa, worshippers washed their hands at the main gate.

“Worshippers are not allowed inside the church without washing their hands,” said Linda Apiyo, a security officer at the church.

Holy water

Father Rapheal Kanga said holy water was not available at the church and worshippers were encouraged to bring water that would be blessed.

“There is no more holy water in the church and we have replaced that with worshippers bringing their own water in bottles to be prayed for,” he said.

At the Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Kongowea, which has a population of more than 3,000 worshipers, all faithful sanitised their hands before entering the church.

In Bomet, only a few churches had sanitisers and other hand washing materials.

“We have been asked not to shake hands, so should we stop greeting one another,?” posed a pastor in Bomet Central during a church service.

During  a funeral service in Chepalungu on Saturday, Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok told churches, mosques and temples to provide sanitisers or bars of soap and water at the entrance.

“We want to stick to the directives of the health officers. Let us provide these sanitisers in our places of worship and in funeral services,” he said.

Health CEC Joseph Sitonik said the county had set aside isolation rooms in all the health facilities. 

Churches in Kisumu complied with precautionary guidelines set by the ministry of health.

Catholic and protestant churches, including Legio Maria, installed hand sanitisers at the entrance of their churches. Catholic and Anglican churches had stewards monitoring parishioner to ensure strict compliance.

At Legio Maria’s St Peter Parish, presiding father Peter Mutuku said safety of congregants was top priority for the church and urged every member to observe strict hygiene standards to keep the virus at bay.

Cause panic

 “Most importantly, we must be faithful in our prayers for God to deliver us from the pandemic,” he said.

Churches could, however, not do much about the numbers thronging the churches and hoped the hand sanitisers would prevent any spread. 

Some independent African churches associated the virus to end-time plagues described in the Bible. 

Kisii Catholic diocese bishop Joseph Mairura has urged Kenyans to heed advice by the government to curb spread of coronavirus and shun sharing messages that may cause panic.

The Prelate said the Catholic Kenya Catholic Bishops Conference (KCCB) had announced measures the faithful have to take to prevent the spread of the virus.

Addressing faithful after he consecrated St Andrew Kaggwa, Suneka Catholic church on Saturday, the bishop noted the virus had made people panic, noting he was also shocked when the government banned public gatherings.

“I was surprised by the directive by Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe,” Bishop Mairura said.

Most churches in Narok were almost empty yesterday as worshipers stayed indoors for fear of coronavirus.

An evangelical church bishop, who declined to be named, said fear of Covid-19 would affect weekly contributions.

“If the situation continues, some churches will close,” he said.

Kitale Catholic Bishop Anthony Crowley warned against the use of social media to spread disinformation on the coronavirus.

“Rumors being spread on social media is frightening and we must do all we can to stop this madness,” he said. 

When he celebrated mass at the Kitale Mary Immaculate Diocese yesterday, Crowley asked the authorities to give accurate and up-to-date information to prevent the spread of rumours. 

He cautioned supermarkets and other shopkeepers against taking advantage of the pandemic to hike prices of face masks and other commodities. —Reporting by James Magayi, Robert Ochoro, David Musundi, Peter Leshan