Almost five months after they were shut down as part of measures to curtail the spread of the Covid-19, worship centres in Lagos state will finally reopen by next week Friday, August 7, 2020.
Lagos state has recorded over 15,000 Covid-19 infections and about 200 deaths, according to NCDC record.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu gave the green light for the reopening of worship centres at a briefing on Saturday.
He said: “Places of worship in Lagos will now be opened from Friday, the 7th of August for our Muslim worshippers and on Sunday, the 9th of August for our Christian worshippers.”
He however released guidelines on how the worship centres will operate in the state henceforth, specifically pleading with those from 65 years and above to stay at home and avoid worship places.
“We will only allow 50 per cent of their maximum capacities, either at the church or at the mosque. Churches that have a Saturday worship day will also be allowed to hold worship.
“We must reiterate that places of worship have their regular once a week service at designated days. For the avoidance of doubt, there will be Friday worships for our Muslim followers and Sunday worships for our Christian followers.
“We will monitor this for the next couple of weeks and see how compliance gets as we move along. They are encouraged to have multiple services on those days but they should restrict it to those designated days of worship.
“In addition, the following conditions must also be fully met by all our religious centres; regular gatherings are permitted to hold but vigils and other services should still be on hold for now.
The governor also advised religious leaders to consider holding services in open spaces and well-ventilated areas “as circumstances of faith and tradition permit”.
“We should still ensure that no face masks policy are maintained throughout the duration of the services. They should ensure that regular cleaning and disinfection of the facilities are carried out to maintain a clean and hygiene environment before, during and after the services.
“It is mandatory to provide hand-washing facilities and hand sanitisers at the various worship places. Handshakes, hugs, high-fives are not permitted during gatherings and should be emphasised and displayed at the various places of worship,” he added.
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