The government on Sunday reiterated that churches were allowed to congregate albeit under strict lockdown regulations.
Addressing an inter-ministerial taskforce on COVID-19 in Chinhoyi on Sunday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa said the recent enforcements aimed at thwarting the spike of the coronavirus by President Mnangagwa still allowed citizens to congregate at their respective places of worship. She said:
The recent lockdown restrictions issued by the President seek to arrest the spread of the virus through a raft of measures among them, restricting gathering.
Only gatherings that exceed 50 have remained banned and the Government has not reviewed the figure up or down.
People are allowed to congregate for as long as they observe the stipulated figure, sanitising, social distancing, temperature checking and members wearing masks.
The Herald was told by some church-goers in Chinhoyi town on Sunday that they received communication from their leaders that church services were suspended following a directive issued by the police.
The current position is, however, a departure from the initial one since President Mnangagwa, during his recent address to the nation on the lockdown, had said that “public gatherings for social, religious or political purposes remain banned…”
