Government Allows Church Congregations Under Covid-19 Regulations

The Zimbabwean government has clarified that people are allowed to attend church services, provided they adhere to the specified Covid-19 regulations. Speaking in Chinhoyi, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Senator Monica Mutsvangwa emphasized that the recent lockdown restrictions only ban gatherings exceeding 50 people, and that citizens are free to congregate as long as they follow guidelines such as sanitizing, social distancing, and mask-wearing. The government has not banned church gatherings but has introduced measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Key Takeaways:

• The Zimbabwean government has not banned church congregations, but adherents must follow Covid-19 guidelines.
• The recent lockdown restrictions issued by President Mnangagwa aimed at thwarting the spike of the novel coronavirus only ban gatherings exceeding 50 people.
• People are allowed to congregate as long as they observe the stipulated figure, perform sanitizing, social distancing, temperature checking, and wear masks.
• Most church-goers in Chinhoyi town received communication from their leaders that church services were suspended, allegedly following a directive issued by the police.
• The government, through the leadership of President Mnangagwa, has put together an inter-ministerial taskforce to address the Covid-19 challenge and introduced interventions to contain the disease.
• Zimbabwe has had low figures for quite a number of months, but the recent spike in positive cases can be attributed to the return of residents from many countries and escapees from quarantine centers.
• Provincial taskforce teams are now escorting returnees through quarantine centers, and private players have assisted the government in the fight against Covid-19.

Statistics:

• 50 people: the maximum number of people allowed to gather under the lockdown restrictions.
• 50%: the completion rate of the Chinhoyi provincial isolation centre, owing to procurement challenges.
• "quite a number of months": duration for which Zimbabwe reported low Covid-19 figures before the recent spike.

Sources:

• Senator Monica Mutsvangwa, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister
• President Mnangagwa
• The Herald