Places of worship are preparing and getting ready for reopening by making sure that by the time they are allowed to operate, they are able to implement the Standard operating procedures-SOPs.
Worship places are among the public places that have been closed for almost six months, after closing their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While the burden of the lockdown has fallen evenly across the population, religious groups have been forced to sacrifice major festivals that punctuate their practice over the year.
Christians were unable to attend Holy Week services; Muslims have experienced Ramadan without communal Iftar meals each day.
Faith leaders like Bishop David Livingstone Kiganda of Christian focus Ministries and other religious leaders, protested and called for churches, mosques, synagogues and temples to be allowed to reopen as other lockdown measures have been lifted.
Following the demand, religious institutions under the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda developed Standard Operating Procedures-SOPs to guide the safe re-opening of places of worship.
Religious institutions are suggesting that the first phase of the reopening should be around the end of August for 21 days accommodating adult and youth congregants, from the age of 12. The first reopening should start with urban areas before spreading to the countryside, according to proposals that were presented to the National COVID-19 Task Force.
The proposed SOPs include, mandatory use of face masks, temperature scanning, and sanitization at entrances of places of worship and maintaining social distancing of two meters from each other. For the Muslims, during Jumu’ah or Duwa Prayers, the SOPs suggest that congregants can be given disposable bags for the individual storage of shoes and other valuables.
Meanwhile, vulnerable members of the congregation, including the elderly, and those with underlying health conditions are advised to stay home and watch the services online.
Collection of gifts, offertory, tithing or any other giving should be limited to entrances while worshipers are entering or exiting the Places of Worship, to limit contact or many people touching on the same surfaces. In the same way, sharing written materials like Bibles, Qurans, songbooks, programs, or other written literature will also be prohibited.
In case of any case identified, the worship centers will have to link up with the area COVID-19 task force and make contact tracing easier, all congregants will be registered.
That every place of worship should keep a register of the worshipers in attendance in a given worship service. The register should contain the names, phone contact, and area of residence of each worshiper for easy contact tracing.
In the same development, the proposed standard operating procedures point out that places of worship will not be allowed to be used for any form of political campaigns.
Meanwhile, Eagle online visited some worship places in Kampala which are fond of holding huge gatherings to find out preparations that worship places have or are putting in place for reopening.
In some places that this reporter visited like Christian life church Kavule, Old Kampala Mosque, St Paul cathedral Namirembe, Christ Embassy church Naalya, St Mary’s cathedral Rubaga, Rubaga miracle center cathedral, among others, are busy holding meetings in preparations for reopening and SOPs like hand wash, sanitizers, information regarding coronavirus pinned on noticeboards among others are already in place.
At all Saints church Nakasero, they have reserved tents outside the church that will be used to ensure physical distancing, they have purchased modern hand wash taps for each gate, register books for recording details, and they are hoping that the new building will also help because it will have enough space.
Rev.Can Rebecca Nyegyenye, the All Saints Nakasero Provost notes that they are moving faster to make sure that by the time they announce reopening, they have everything in place that will help them to implement the SOPs and keep everyone safe.
She also says that for the people like elderly and the sick, they have plans of making a good program.
At all saints, they have marked two-meter space to ensure physical distancing. They have as well put in place thermometer guns for temperature measuring, registers among other measures.
Brave Byarugaba, the all Saints church administrator says that with all the measures they will ensure SOPs are implemented.
At Watoto church in town, they have all the Ministry of Health information showing the SOPs, they have purchased thermometer guns and security officers ensure to measure everyone that accesses the premises.
Daniel Nyombi, a member of Watoto church says that they have been well prepared and they are just waiting for the reopening. However, he notes that these SOPs might work for a few days and people resort to old ways of behaving which can put everyone at risk.
At the old Kampala mosque, this reporter found Muslims in prayers and observing social distance. They have ensured the whole place has taps and there are attendants to direct whoever comes in to wash hands and sanitizers are in every office and at entrances.
Rashid Kiwanuka the information officer supreme council old Kampala mosque says that they have a hand in SOPs that have been proposed, therefore they are ready and prepared for reopening.
However, Hajjat Sanyu Kasoga a member of old Kampala mosque expresses her worries on how these SOPs shall be implemented, yet some are against the Islam faith, like praying together (Jama)-where every moslem that takes part in a prayer service must have their feet connected to the colleague’s feet.
She further appeals that the government should reopen them and they will be sensitized, and to the fellow Muslims, that they should do all it takes to remain safe because these are not normal situations.
However, some worship places like Christ the king in town and house of Prayer Ministries International, there is no sign of preparing for reopening, as churches are still closed and guarded by security guards.
