COVID-19: Christmas, New Year Services Threatened As FG Restricts Gatherings

Forthcoming Christmas and New Year religious gatherings were feared to be under threat on Thursday after the Federal Government ordered all indoor religious gatherings to be limited to 50% of normal sitting upon what it announced as the commencement of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

The order was given by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr. Boss Mustapha who is also chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19.

While noting that the country has entered into the Fourth Wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SGF in a statement warned that the government may be forced to impose further restrictions if the surge is not controlled.

The SGF in the statement thus urged the citizenry to embrace safe COVID-19 protocols and also go for vaccination and booster doses where necessary.

He said:

“The Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 recognizes the importance of the Christmas and New Year celebrations for most Nigerians. As we prepare to celebrate with our families and loved ones, it is important that we do so safely by taking the necessary precautionary measures to stop the further spread of COVID-19 in our country.

“The PSC wishes to remind Nigerians that we are now experiencing the 4th wave COVID19 as new cases have continued to rise in the country. This is the result of a mix of very low vaccination coverage, increased travels and movements, reduced compliance to public health social measures and highly transmissible Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant now circulating in the country.

The statement announcing restrictions upon the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria that affects Christmas services further read “Indoor religious congregation should be limited to 50% capacity with full compliance to public health social measures; face masks and hand sanitisers should be used at all times regardless of vaccination status while in public spaces.

“Families are advised to limit the number of visitors to their homes and put in place precautionary safety measures. Any gathering in the excess of 50 people should be done in open spaces with physical distancing.

“Avoid non-essential interstate travel at this period as this increases the risk of spreading infection from one place to another. People who intend to travel are encouraged to take a rapid COVID-19 test to confirm status as many infected persons are asymptomatic.

“Ensure that you have taken the full dose of COVID-19 vaccination including the booster dose to reduce your risk of severe infection and death in case of exposure to COVID-19.”

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