Coronavirus: Religious activities commence from June 5 with 100 congregants

The president of Ghana has partially lifted the ban on selected social gatherings, hence religious and institutions such as churches and mosques with effect from Friday, 5th June, congregate.

According to the president, an abridged format for religious services can commence. Twenty-five
percent (25%) attendance, with a maximum number of one hundred (100) congregants can worship at a time in church or at the mosque, with a mandatory one-metre rule of social distancing between congregants.

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In addition to the mandatory wearing of masks for all persons at all times in churches and mosques, a register of names and contact details of all worshippers and handwashing facilities and sanitisers must be provided, with a maximum duration of one (1) hour for each service.

However, all religious institutions desirous of opening their premises to their members, such as churches, mosques, and others are to ensure the following

1. Churches and Mosques are to disinfect, fumigate and put in place the requisite logistics needed to guarantee safe opening and
   operation.
2. They must work with the designated, regulatory bodies and undertake test runs of the protocols I have outlined.
3. Christians, on the first Sunday of re-opening, i.e. 7th June, in the case of the Adventists, Saturday, 6th June, and in the case of Muslims, on the first Friday, i.e. Ṣalāt al-Jumuʿah on 5th June, to dedicate their worship to prayers for the nation in these challenging times.
4. The Minister for Religious Affairs, will, tomorrow, Monday, 1st June, outline, in detail, the
   specific guidelines for the safe reopening of our churches and mosques.