This archive report was first published on 12 July 2020.
On July 12, 2020, the Catholic Church in Nairobi announced that its churches would reopen on July 19, 2020, following the Government's COVID-19 protocols.
According to John Cardinal Njue, Archbishop of the Nairobi Diocese, each parish will form a COVID-19 response team to assist the faithful in adhering to the Health Ministry guidelines.
‘I urge you to take these guidelines seriously so that we may adequately prepare the faithful for the second phase of the reopening of our places of worship,’ Njue said in a statement.
The churches will be required to provide hand washing stations or alcohol-based sanitizers for the faithful to use before and after the gathering.
They will also be expected to ensure that anyone who enters the church is wearing a face mask that covers the nose and mouth.
Further, where possible, thermal guns will be used to detect those who may have indicators of illness.
Other regulations provided by the Office of the Cardinal include regular cleaning and disinfecting of worship places, ensuring social distancing of 1.5 meters between congregants, regulating the number of congregants to a maximum of 100 persons, clearly labelled sitting positions, discouraging socializing outside places of worship, ensuring mass takes only one hour, limiting singing to liturgical actions, and omitting the sign of peace communion rite.
Archbishop Njue further directed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, baptism services for infants will remain suspended, while anointing of the sick will be limited.
Ministers will be required to maintain social distance and wear face masks at all times.
On July 6, 2020, President Kenyatta announced the phased reopening of places of worship in the country, but only if they comply with set regulations for public gatherings.
