Many churches remain closed under Level 3 lockdown

Many churches in KwaZulu-Natal have opted to remain closed on the first weekend where religious gatherings are allowed under Alert Level 3 lockdown, reports the SABC.

President Cyril Ramaphosa gave the green light for churches, mosques, temples and other places of worship to reopen in the days leading up to June, the month where social distancing restrictions were eased to allow certain sectors to reopen.

Churches opt not to reopen

The president, however, warned that this should happen under strict conditions, including the wearing of masks at all times and the restriction of congregants allowed to gather in a single building to no more than 50 people.

He added that churches that violate these regulations would be closed down.

While some have taken the first opportunity to return to their respective places of worship, many have chosen to remain closed.

Reverend Nkosinathi Robert Lubanyana of the of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Holy Spirit Church in Zion in Pietermaritzburg says for people to go back they must make sure the environment is safe and the places of worship are safe. 

“Proper sanitation must be there in the actual church and that the environment is ready for the people to come in and also to make sure that as the congregants come in they are sanitized, they have masks, there are the scans and there is a register that needs to be kept there with the details of the whoever is coming into the church so that you can trace and track the people,” he is quoted by SABC.

Reverend Nkosinathi Robert Lubanyana

Mixed reactions over the reopening of religious gatherings

The decision to allow religious gatherings to operate was not met with the warmest of welcomes in some quarters.

Some political parties have slammed the move by Ramaphosa, with Economic Freedom Fighters MP, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi calling him “spineless”.

“How will a church determine which 50 people must come to church? And when the Holy Spirit enters a person, or makes a person fall, how will they ensure social distancing? It has collapsed! He does not care anymore!! There is no leadership in this county. We truly are on our own!”

Mbuyiseni Ndlozi

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald, on the other hand, said if places of worship can meet health standards, they should be allowed to keep operating services.

A survey conducted by Hope Restoration Ministries (HRM) revealed that a staggering 80% of the 2 000 people interviewed were not comfortable to immediately return to church and worship under Level 3 lockdown regulations.