SA’s religious communities will have to navigate a health minefield as churches, synagogues, temples and mosques will be allowed to open for limited congregational worship when the country moves to a less restrictive lockdown on Monday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday evening threw millions of deeply religious South Africans a lifeline, resulting in their being able to worship in groups of less than 50 people under strict conditions when the country moves to level 3 of the lockdown.
The announcement followed a meeting with leaders of various faiths last week.
While the religious leaders and their congregants might feel that the decision is a reprieve, it will have to be carefully executed amid the already complex process of relaxing the lockdown, given that religious gatherings have been a source of cluster infections around the world.
One of the examples of how the coronavirus spreads in gatherings was in South Korea, where a patient went to church and Covid-19 spread like wildfire. In SA the initial spike in the Free State in the early days of the spread of the virus was linked to a mass prayer gathering in Bloemfontein.
Ramaphosa said during the announcement that social distancing will have to be observed and all worshippers and participants will have to wear face masks in line with the current regulations.
Religious organisations will have to put protocols in place for thoroughly cleaning and sanitising places of worship before and after services, Ramaphosa said, adding that religious leaders will now be deemed front-line workers.
A draft document compiled for discussion by the SA Council of Churches (SACC), which includes most of the mainstream churches in SA, goes into detail about how this process can be done practically, such as having more than one service to ensure the 50 congregants limit is adhered to, as well as sanitising the venues before and after each service
There is likely to be no drinking of tea after the service, while taking communion will be strictly controlled and as socially distant and sanitised as possible.
The draft document points out what could be the biggest challenge churches face when the congregations return: singing. There will be no singing as “droplets [are] carried further when we sing and we also breathe in more deeply in singing and, as such, choirs have been known breeding grounds for the virus”, the draft document states.
Having congregants spaced 2m apart is not a safe distance if they are singing.
SA’s religious society will have to wait until June to see what the new normal will look like. It is, however, not a case of rushing to hold services.
Mary Kluk, president of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies, said it was not “a simple situation” and they were holding consultations on Wednesday with the religious community as well as doctors and scientists who were helping them “navigate this path”.
She said the sensitivities of easing out of level 4 of the lockdown and trying to find their way back to work was already challenging, and they could not afford to be irresponsible. “We are not going to rush into something unless we are absolutely adequately prepared,” she said.
Kluk said the arrangements need to be a very carefully considered and it may take some days for them to ensure that the guidelines they issue are implementable. She said they always had to be mindful of the preservation of life.
In an interview with Radio Islam, Moulana Ebrahim Bham, secretary-general of the Council of Muslim Theologians, called on every mosque to take it upon itself to have the necessary discipline and responsibility to adhere to government regulations as far as these relate to sanitisers, only allowing people with masks and practising social distancing.
Gustav Claassen, general secretary of the Dutch Reformed Church, which is a member of the SACC, said it was up to church leaders to ensure that they take responsibility for how gatherings will be conducted. “We want to be carriers of hope and not carriers of the virus,” he said.
The SACC echoed the need for caution in a statement on Wednesday: “We receive the announcement not so much with a sense of euphoria but as a moment that requires deep reflection about the enormous responsibility that we must now exercise.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.