Amidst fears over the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Imo State chapter has appealed to both the Federal Government and Imo State not to shutdown churches as part of measures to curtail the spread of the disease.
State chairman of CAN, Eches Eches, made the plea on behalf of his members while meeting with the State’s task force chairman on COVID-19 and his team at the secretariat of the association, yesterday, in Owerri.
Eches and his members, however, vowed that they will make sure that the protocols of the disease is strongly observed as long as the churches remain open for worship .
He said:”We promise to abide by the rules; we can have series of services daily to avoid over crowding, as usual constant washing of hands would be observed and wearing of face masks, but we appeal to the government not to shutdown our churches. We believe the solution is constantly praying to God.
“The country is in existential threat; what we need now is prayer. I believe prayer was able to disappoint scientists who projected earlier that people would be dying on the streets, so I urge you to reinforce prayer.”
Iwu seized the opportunity to inform the clerics that government have made available drugs for aged people in the state, to strengthen their immune system, although he added that it is not proven to be a cure for the disease, but could go long way in reducing the risk.
The drugs, he said, which are in capsule forms, would be distributed through the churches and Local Government Areas in the State.