Government allows congregational worship on Level 3 lockdown
- Congregational worship will be allowed on Level 3 lockdown
- President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement on Tuesday night
- Ramaphosa said recognised places of worship may resume services but congregations will be limited to 50 people
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Government has confirmed that congregational worship will be allowed when South Africa moves to Level 3 on 1 June.
President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement on Tuesday night.
Recognised places of worship - including churches, temples, mosques and synagogues - may resume services but congregations will be limited to 50 people, Ramaphosa said.
The president emphasised that all religious organisations needed to put protocols in place for the thorough cleaning of places of worship before and after services.
They needed to ensure that any religious rituals that carried even the slightest possibility of exposure to worshippers should be avoided, he said.
Ramaphosa said where these rituals formed an essential part of religious practices, sanitation was of paramount importance.
READ ALSO: Covid-19 update: Ramaphosa's lockdown relaxation gets mixed reviews
Ramaphosa also urged all South Africans to heed the call of spiritual leaders to observe a national day of prayer on Sunday, 31 May.
"On this day, wherever we may be, I call upon you to turn your thoughts to all who have been affected by this pandemic."
Citizens have reacted with mixed feeling to this new development. They took to social media to share their views.
@BuangZA commented:
"Quite an irony that sectors of the economy that actually contribute to the fiscus are still not allowed to trade, yet the church gets a green light to take whatever that’s left of their congregants money & hoard it to fund lifestyles of their pastors."
@Waviest_baby wrote:
"Churches will not obey the maximum 50 people regulation. Do you know how greedy pastors are mate? Big lol."
@robzinterris said:
"Many pastors will start labelling sanitisers as Holy Sanitisers from tomorrow to make money."
Briefly.co.za reported that Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma rescheduled the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) briefing to Wednesday.
Dlamini-Zuma is expected to reveal finer details of Level 3 lockdown during the briefing.
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Source: Briefly News
