Cleric tasks religious leaders on community transmission
Religious Organisations have been urged to support government’s strategies towards eradicating the second phase of COVID-19, which is community transmission of the deadly pandemic in the country.
General Overseer, Gospel Herald Church International, Dr. Caleb Ayanwusi, who said this in an interview with The Guardian, noted that the public had tendency to listen, trust and obey their religious leaders than political, ethnic or cultural leaders.
The cleric, also a medical practitioner, warned that community transmission phase is the most risky and deadliest, as it could lead to mass infection and mass death, if not quickly contained, and that now is the time religious leaders should make their leadership bear on followers.
Ayanwusi, who lauded the Christian Association of Nigeria’s (CAN) support to government at both the state and national levels, identified three major areas CAN could further its support.
He said: “The first, which is the most important, is averting congregation of members for any programme. CAN must join government to enforce the anti-congregation directive and where there is any violation, it should not hesitate to apply sanctions.
CAN, through its members, could assist government in propagating some of the standard protocols identified by both World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Centre for Disease Control in dealing with the pandemic, including social distancing, hand washing/sanitising and staying indoors.”
The cleric said this could be done, even without physical congregation, through the various televisions and radio programmes being run by churches.
The third way CAN could assist, according to the cleric, was through donation of food and essential commodities to the aged, poor and vulnerable.
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