FCT lists 29 requirements to reopen churches and mosques

All places of worship must sign up to full compliance with all 29 aspects of physical distancing to protect the public from Covid-19 before mosques and churches can reopen in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory Authority has said.

All places of worship must sign up to full compliance with all 29 aspects of physical distancing to protect the public from Covid-19 before mosques and churches can reopen in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory Authority has said.

It met with Christian and Muslim religious leaders on Thursday to agree on measures to be put in place before religious centres reopen.

The measures:

1. Centres must ensure supply of running water and soap or alcohol sanitisers at entry and exit point and in all high-contact locations, including bathrooms.
2. Worshippers must sanitise their hands before entry.
3. Mandatory use of face masks
4. Close contact—shaking hands, hugging, kissing, handing out of materials, sharing of worship implements like prayer mats, musical organs and microphones—is discouraged.
5. Churches and mosques must limit the capacity of their facilities to allow for physical distancing of at least 2m between persons
6. Leaders are to use floor or surface marking to guide distancing and encourage people from the same household to stay together.
7. Volunteers providing service should be limited to exact numbers needed and none should have underling medical conditions or be above the age of 55 years.
8. Limit congregation contact time and only places of worship only for regular services.
9. Churches to open from 5am and close by 8pm, with each service not exceeding one hour, with an interval of 30 minutes to allow time for disinfection
10. Mosques to open 15 minutes before prayers and close 10 minutes after for the five daily prayers.
11. Waiting period between prayers should not exceed 10 minutes, and prayers are to be shortened to reduce duration of contact among congregation.
12. For Friday prayers, mosques are to open 20 minutes before prayers and close 20 minutes after. Total time for Friday prayers, including sermons, should not exceed one hour.
13. Islamiyah schools, vigils, Sunday schools, and children activities are to remain suspended.
14. Only five daily prayers are allowed in mosques.
15. Mass gatherings that make compliance with physical distancing difficult are disallowed.
16. Prayer sessions should be staggered to encourage opportunity for physical distancing.
17. Worshippers are to sign up for preferred service time and virtual worship should be made available.
18. Churches and mosques should provide separate entry and exit points and direct flow of people to avoid crowing and breach of physical distancing.
19. No gatherings before and after worship
20. Business outlets within the church or mosque premises are to stay closed.
21. Vulnerable individuals—people aged 55 and above, with impaired immune system, with underlying illness like diabetes and heart disease—are to stay at home and consider remote participation or non-contact adherence such as drive-in services.
22. Churches and mosques are to make their premises free of carpets to allow easy and regular disinfection of floors and furniture.
23. Windows should stay open during services and use of open-air spaces is encouraged.
24. Surfaces that are commonly touched, areas that are commonly used and bathrooms should be frequently cleaned and disinfected.
25. People responsible for sanitation should use 1,000 parts per million dilute bleach to disinfect surfaces after removing visible dirt. Infected persons should be kept out to reduce risk of onward transmission.
26. Worshippers are encouraged not to attend in person if experiencing symptoms of Covid-19.
27. All worshipers noted to be running a temperature or are symptomatic on arrival at the place of worship are to be excluded from participation.
28. Up-to-date record of staffing, including contact details and a full record of attendees at every service is to be kept to enable contact tracing.
29. Religious visits to homes by clerics are discouraged.