CAN issues new advisories for churches to check COVID-19

• Urges sick persons, elderly to stay home
As the nation experiences second wave of COVID-19, with rising cases of infection, the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) has issued new advisories to help churches across the country check the spread of the disease.

In the new guidelines, CAN directed that nobody, including worshippers and worship leaders, should be allowed entry into churches without facemasks.

Also, church attendance should not exceed a third of the sitting capacity of every church, and churches can make use of their educational facilities and multi purpose halls to avoid overcrowding in the main church auditorium.

The association advised that people who are sick or very old should stay at home while there should be temperature screening at every entry point into the church.

In a statement, yesterday, in Abuja, General Secretary of CAN, Barrister Joseph Daramola, said there should be no form of direct contact, and practices such as handshakes as peace signs are discouraged.

“Hand sanitizers should be made available in all the rest rooms while practices that require sharing of materials should be limited. Those using microphones must sanitise their hands before using them,” CAN advised.

Daramola, who stressed the need to ensure adequate ventilation in halls of worship, with open windows, and doors for air to circulate in and out freely, and if possible avoid the use of air conditioners, stated that worship places should be disinfected routinely, before and after worship.

The CAN scribe also urged churches to ensure separate entry and exit points to avoid overcrowding at entry and exit points.

The statement read in part: “Brethren, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has announced emergence of the second wave of the pandemic. Hand washing facilities and hand sanitizers should be provided at point of entries and strategic points within the church premises.

“Church auditorium should be clearly marked such that people sit and maintain two metres distance from each other. Every church should make use of medical personnel to assist. We appeal to all our churches to observe all the COVID-19 protocols. We should be praying for the end of the pandemic in all our worships and very soon, it will become history in Jesus Name”.