This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
Uhuru's Reopening of Places of Worship: A Double-Edged Sword ¶
As Kenya prepares to reopen places of worship on July 14, 2020, concerns are rising about the potential risks of COVID-19 transmission in these settings.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's decision to reopen places of worship has sparked both excitement and concern, as the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. The ban on social gatherings was introduced after the first COVID-19 case was reported in Kenya in March 2020.
Public health experts worldwide have since agreed that churches, like entertainment joints, offer the best possible setting for the transmission of the virus due to many activities that involve emission of oral fluid droplets.
Over 10,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Kenya since March 2020, with well over 2,000 cases recorded last week alone. It was in the same week Kenya reported the highest number of daily cases, after 473 people tested positive on July 10.
The president made it abundantly clear the country was not fully prepared to handle the pandemic; only a handful of counties have the requisite 300 isolation beds and the necessary critical care services ready for a possible surge.
Religious leaders should take all necessary precautions as churches reopen, including adhering to guidelines regarding congregation size, social distancing, duration of services, use of face masks, hand washing, frequent cleaning, and other protocols set by the Interfaith Council on the national response to coronavirus pandemic.
They should be well aware of crises occasioned by the resumption of physical worship services elsewhere in the world and thus treat adherence to the guidelines as a matter of life and death.
While many believers are known to fanatically trust religious leaders, this is the time to be alert and not be led like a lamb to the slaughter.
Let the religious leadership thus adhere to the set guidelines religiously, and without questioning. Let them ensure that after all is said and done, they would be counted among those who shepherded Kenya through the pandemic, not those who hauled the country from the frying pan into the fire.
