Some religious leaders in Dominica are calling on the government to review its decision to allow no more than 10 people at religious places of worship and to use electronic or virtual means to hold church services.
This measure is part of the new Environmental Health Services (COVID-19) Regulations under Section 30 of the Environment Health Services Act Chapter 42:01 which are being implemented from Tuesday 24 August 2021, to manage COVID-19 in Dominica.
The new regulations were introduced at the end of an Emergency Powers (Curfew) Order which came into effect on August 3rd, 2021 to deal with the current surge of Covid-19 and ended on Monday, August 23rd, 2021.
In making the announcement, Minister for National Security and Home Affairs, Rayburn Blackmoore revealed that in addition to regular church gatherings, weddings and funerals would also be limited to ten people. He also said that the government planned to hold a consultation with churches to discuss protocols for a safe reopening.
However, Vicar General of the Catholic Church in Dominica, Monsignor William Jno Lewis, believes that the government’s decision should be reviewed and told DNO in an interview, that Bishop Gabriel Malzaire had written to the authorities expressing the desire for a review of the measure.
“There was a first meeting that they had when they stipulated the number of people that could be in church and they said that will be reviewed. Up to now, I am not sure if there was a follow-up meeting for that,” Monsignor Jno Lewis stated. “I know that His Lordship wrote a letter asking whether or not the situation can be reviewed.”
Monsignor Jno Lewis noted that the church has always abided by protocols established by the government.
“We understand that very well and I understand that personally too, that we are concerned about the health of our people,” he said….“At the initial outbreak of the Covid-19, we were told to be sure to follow the protocols, sanitization of the churches, sanitization of the people as they come in and the sitting arrangements of people to a pew.”
Citing the decision to allow passengers to ride buses “with three to a seat in a closed area for such a long time, and the shops are opened and people can go in,” the Catholic priest asked, “Could we not suggest that most of our churches that are very large where you have a lot of air, could it not be possible that we follow the same protocols that we had initially so that people can still come in and follow the protocols?”
“If 3, 6 or 9 people can be allowed in crowded area such as a bus,” he continued, “Couldn’t you have 3 people to a pew for example in church, every other pew?”
While admitting that personal prayer is very important, Monsignor Jno Lewis also stressed the importance of communal prayer.
“People can come together to offer praise and worship; that is a very powerful thing and people need that now more than ever before. I think that people need to feel the presence of other people praying together and supporting each other,” he argued.
President of the Dominica Association of Evangelical Churches (DAEC), Pastor Randy Rodney, also spoke to Dominica News Online (DNO). He told us that his recommendation to the government is that churches should be allowed whatever numbers their varied houses can hold using a calculation of 36 square feet to each individual.
“My view on that is pretty straight forward in the sense that personally, with the numbers that we have, I understand the government’s fear regarding the spread of Covid-19, but their response is inconsistent with their fear or concern,” Pastor Rodney said. “It is inconsistent because you are allowing a public vehicle where people from all walks, everywhere, unrelated, sit in the vehicle and they sit right next to each other. On a bus, they are sitting on a 5ft space with 3 of them which means that each person is occupying 18 inches max on a bus… and in a church, you are saying 10 people. So that is inconsistent.”
He added that if a space of 36 square feet is allowed per individual, “then the church must inform what their building size is and somebody monitors.”
“You are asking us to put 10 people in the house [church],” noted the Senior Pastor of Truth and Grace Fellowship Global, (formally the Trinity Baptist Church) which, according to him, can hold 100 people comfortably.
And because of the size of its congregation, he pointed out, his church is unable to conduct a worship service with a full worship team because of what will be required to do it.
“I understand their dilemma, but I think that they are delaying their feet on the question of church and I don’t know why,” Rodney said.
DNO also contacted Superintendent of the Methodist Church, Morna Christmas Frazier for a comment on the matter. She said she didn’t wish to comment but indicated that she had also written to the government on the matter.
As usual, the Bishop of Roseau has lost his voice! What kind of a leader is this man?
If Religious Belief is a pretext for denying the Vaccine, why on earth would you bother to regulate church gatherings?
Don’t get smart on me there yet..just read to the question again. Add that to the list of things that don’t make sense in COVID-19 era. Just how they say the Vaccines would stop the virus, and now they say not that we said. it’s just another “layer”, more like Liar!!
and they still have dirty heart.
Not that I care too much about what those so-called church leaders are saying, for the majority of them are only thinking about the collection plate.
But in reality, the Church was meant to bring the message of God’s Love to the people as a congregation–if it is the goal of the presiding pastor, priest, or preacher, and 10 people are way, way too few a number of people to hear that message–especially when people don’t care to seek God’s word on their own
Even in my little Chapel of Giraudel, there are enough seats to spread the congregation like two apart on a bench, and with that number, I perceive 4 people in one bench.
I think that the chapel has at least 10 rows of benches in one division. So with 40 people in 1 row of benches, then 3 divisions can add up to 120 people at the church.
Most of those churches are a lot bigger than our Chapel in Giraudel, so 10 people in those churches are even less than having one church mouse–O dear!
If is me that is the Dictator I would tell Malzaire and his gang of priests they can never hold a gun to my head. You see, while I am scared sheet of covid and advocate nonstop for ALL to be vaccinated, I agree with the person who said in an earlier post the church just looking for more money in the collection plate. If Malzaire is so disturbed that he writing to the dictator in sigway then he not serious yet.
If the said Malzaire and his priests really wants to get results all they have to do is label next Sunday “Catholic Revolt Day” and call out their followers en masse. With all the catholics in the country The Dictator or the police will just have to suck it up because there is nothing the police will be able to do. So Mr. Malzaire, show us what you got and call out the sheep of your flock next Sunday let us show the Dictator who is really running things in Dca.
Those So-called Religious leaders looking at the kitty church roof is leaking no wine and brandy, no collection nothing most of them to dam hypocrites and wicked liers let them go to hell 👹
I haven’t seen nor heard anywhere that the church leaders who are asking for more persons to be allowed into their churches advocating for the poor people who had to stay home without pay because of the Covid-19 protocols be given some stimulus package. No. However these money loving church leaders want to be able to collect more money when the collection plate is passed around. They forgot that they can’t serve two masters.
The question is not simply one of feet and inches. We don’t have to wonder what COVID can do in congregational settings, it’s already shown us all over the world – from U.S. churches to Iranian mosques. These settings involve lots of vocalizing by lots if people all at once, in an enclosed space. And policing individual congregants’ behavior is extremely hard.
*Masks definitely help, but if they’re not worn properly by all or if they get moist, their effectiveness decreases.
*Vaccination also helps, but significant numbers of people are resisting it and children (now more at risk from Delta, and frequently taken to church) cannot yet be vaccinated.
*Sanitizing of surfaces and hands is helpful but how much does it impact airborne transmission?
The question for those congregations wanting church restrictions eased, is what are you willing to do or to stop doing, to help church leaders keep the community safe?
The long and short of it is the churches want more money from the congregants who attend therefore they want the numbers increased. That’s all.
Two reasons for this:
1. There is no stupidity like religion.
2. The fake shamans can’t collect money remotely.
This is so true, you cannot compare a bus and a church building. What the minister said is so true, look at the space capacity inside the churches in Dominica and decide from there, how many people they can hold with a 6 feet apart distance from side ways to back and front. For e.g. you cannot have a church building which is 3000 sqft with 10 people and a bus 6 ft long with 10 people. that’s ridiculous.
coffers getting low. Seems all small businesses including churches are being affected one way or another. Even if they dont pay taxes on “revenues”, yes, churches are a business, like it or not.
Skerrit puts these stringent restrictions on church worshippers, but he allows cruise ships to our shores and hordes of people into the supermarkets, all of which are of course owned by his ‘fat cat’ friends.
Maybe he doesn’t want for Dominicans to go to church but rather pray and fast at home whenever he asks you to. When are Dominicans finally going to wake up and see this man for what he is?
The cruise ships were/are a huge mistake. Ditto, the easing of quarantine for vaccinated visitors. But 2 wrongs don’t make a right.
Skerrit puts these stringent restrictions on church worshippers, but he allows cruise ships to our shores and hordes of people into the supermarkets, all of which are of course owned by his ‘fat cat’ friends.
Maybe he doesn’t want for Dominicans to go to church but rather pray and fast at home whenever he asks you to. When are Dominicans finally going to wake up and see this man for what he is??
Allu must remember the last days are around the corner and the devil has his agenda so he is using his prople.to conduct such. Born again ones.open allu eyes and seek Gods face trust him he will not fail stop running into mans plans. Dont trust in princes or man trust in God. Soon they will say only vaccinated in cburch eh..watch it. We do not have persecution here like in the east you know. We not sjfferring for christ sake yet..when harsh .meassures start thats when we will see who is mature and who is not. Narrow is the way and few there will be that will find it. Broad way leads to destruction. You see everybody running for vaccine they forget whi God is.is man that make the virus and God is bigger that anything man man smh. God belp us to remain faithful in you.
Becareful of King Liar and his gang. He is angry with everybody with every body on his case and his pocket is dwindling, be careful that he does not order you to give him back his $500,000.00. He is right now fighting himself, the devils’ children (goblins) and even further more Gods children. And worst of all he’s constantly trembling afraid to die.
Them pastors and priests are losing to much money, that’s the long and short of it. Am a church person and love to go when possible but greed is a hell of a thing. Think of the people first you greedy pastors, go find some work and stop using God as an excuse. I really wish I could go to service but think of the virus first not your pockets.
I was of the opinion that should have been done long ago. Some of this advisories make no sense at all. It’s as if someone just want to seem as if they doing something. Three people per seat in a little bus. So in a bus with three seats that’s nine (9) people but in an big church it’s only ten (10) people.
I agree with most of what was said by the pastors. Their arguments are sound for the most part.
However, that should not be the most important subject matter concerning the parishioners. Pastors, come on. What about the daily Herculean struggles for many members of your congregations to survive.
This is true. No man can do much on an empty stomach not even serve God. Pastors, ask those who control the purse of the country to give your hurting parishioners
some sort of financial protection and relief.
How can you be more concerned with the number of people that is allowed to attend church service than the wellbeing and survival of your beleaguered members?
If it’s one time you should champion the cause of your members, the time is NOW!
So if Emile voice note didn’t go public they would have stayed silent, HYPOCRITES
I think that the Churches are not quite following the evolution of the Virus. The first strain which we had denominated as ALPHA had an R0 of about 2. This present variant (DELTA) has an R0 of 6! As we have seen up till a month ago we managed to contain the virus with no deaths and hardly any sickness even when there were no vaccines.
We are now in a very different pandemic, with 5 deaths within a month and hundreds of positive cases at the COVID isolation facility. The proper approach is to limit contact as much as possible with the hope of reducing the rate of infection. If any adjustment is to be made it should be to have all churches closed except for essential duties such as funerals. By the way, R0 is a measure of the rate of replication of the virus. An R0 of 2 means that each infected person is expected to infect 2 persons on average. An R0 of 6 means that each infected person is expected to infect 6 persons.
The responsible thing to do is to conduct virtual services.
So you are going to advocate for virtual bus journeys, virtual supermarkets, virtual cruise ships as well?! Keep your wisdom to yourself! You wouldn’t speak against Skerrit even if he would beat you. You are another one that’s hiding in the bushes all day long.