Maputo, 30 June, 2020 / 9:31 pm (ACI Africa).
Places of worship in Mozambique will remain closed for another 30 days in a new set of measures by the President of the Southern African nation, Filipe Jaicinto Nyusi who extended a ban on social gatherings in the country starting Monday, June 29.
In one of the fresh regulations that were issued through a government decree to contain the spread of COVID-19, the head of State banned the holding of “collective religious services and celebrations,” noting that the celebrations were possible transmission spots for the virus “because they are carried out indoors.”
The decree has been highly contested in the country, with many questioning the logic behind banning public worship while allowing learning in classrooms.
“Just as schools are opening, religious activities should be allowed to resume,” said Fr. Nelson Bernardo Covete in an interview with ACI Africa correspondent following the contested presidential declarations.
“Will the students be learning outside under trees,” the Cleric posed, and added, “Students will be meeting in classrooms, just as Christians who meet in churches to worship. We should really start (thinking) of how to gradually open our places of worship.”
