Covid-19 regulations for worship services revised by Interfaith Council, Kenya

The Interfaith Council on the National Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic has announced revised regulations for worship service which will take effect from Tuesday August 18, 2020.

Worship services will now be allowed to run for up to 90 minutes, 30 minutes longer than the current one hour limit.

In addition, children above age six and adults up to 65 years of age will now be allowed to attend the services, a revision from the current 13-58 years age limit.

"We however continue to urge all those who are elderly, sick or with health conditions, to still worship from their homes. We need to apply personal responsibility, and not expose ourselves when we are still in the rising infections," read the statement by Interfaith Council Chair Archbishop Anthony Muheria.

Members of the Inter-Faith Council on Covid-19, led by Archbishop Anthony Muheria (centre) Members of the Inter-Faith Council on Covid-19, led by Archbishop Anthony Muheria (centre) Pulse Live Kenya

The limit on 100 worshipers in every service has also been lifted and instead, the institutions will be allowed to hold as many worshipers as possible as long as the 1.5 metre social distancing rule is applied.

This will particularly be beneficial to large religious institutions which had opted not to resume worship services because the 100-attendees rule was impractical.

A revision has also been made to the number of mourners who are allowed to attend a funeral raising it to 100, up from 15 close relatives of the deceased.

"In this PHASE ONE that is now set to begin, the total number of attendants in funerals is set at 100 persons. This is a reasonable number that is not too constraining. We plead that we strictly follow this requirement in order to contain any infection spread through Funerals. We also insist that there should not be food sharing as the risk becomes even higher when people remove their masks to eat," the statement outlined.