NO OVERNIGHT PRAYERS YET – LCC

LINDA SOKO TEMBO writes  CHURCHES that are applying for overnight prayer meetings and those who congregate in classrooms will not be granted permission to gather during this period of Covid-19, the Lusaka City Council (LCC) has said. Public relations manager George Sichimba said it would be difficult for churches that gathered in classrooms to meet for worship […]

NO OVERNIGHT PRAYERS YET – LCC
LINDA SOKO TEMBO writes  CHURCHES that are applying for overnight prayer meetings and those who congregate in classrooms will not be granted permission to gather during this period of Covid-19, the Lusaka City Council (LCC) has said. Public relations manager George Sichimba said it would be difficult for churches that gathered in classrooms to meet for worship because their spaces were too small to observe social distancing of at least one metre apart.  In an interview, Mr Sichimba said churches would not be allowed to conduct more than one service because to disinfect objects such as chairs and tables was not easy to do between services. Mr Sichimba said churches that wanted to conduct overnight prayers would not be allowed to do so because it was difficult to monitor compliance levels with public health and that so far about 240 churches had applied asking if they could be gathering for church services.  Mr Sichimba said the Public Health Department received 268 applications as of April 30 out of which 23 were from weddings, two from golf clubs and three for funeral gatherings.   He said so far, 24 churches, golf clubs and funerals had been cleared and the public health inspectors were currently in the field checking the suitability of the remaining 216 churches and 23 wedding venues. “The number of applications is likely to increase by the close of business today. Public health inspectors are doing everything possible and by the end of the day tomorrow, all applicants will have received their results,” Mr Sichimba said.  He said applicants should note that a mere application did not mean that they had been cleared.  Instead, they should wait for results of whether or not they had been cleared. Mr Sichimba said despite Friday being a holiday, public health inspectors and other essential workers would be working throughout the long break and that a combined team of public health workers, State police and council police would be going round to monitor compliance. The Sun