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Church activities remain banned until spread of COVID-19 is curbed —Gov Udom
The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Emmanuel Udom has declared that churches in the state will remain closed until efforts to stem the spread on the deadly COVID-19 virus yields positive results across the country.
Governor Udom revealed this on Sunday during a live interactive program on state-owned Radio and Television stations while reacting to calls and pressure from the citizens and residents to allow church activities.
However, the governor appealed to the citizens and residents in the state to see the order as a safety measure and not a plot by the government to stop people from attending church services.
READ ALSO: AKWA IBOM: Gov Udom relaxes lockdown, imposes wearing of face masks in public
His said, “That is where we are scared. It is not that we don’t want to allow churches to hold services. We cannot allow church services due of the level of interaction after services because that is where you see people hugging, shaking hands, and at that point, the pastor will not be able to control the crowd.
“We are Africans; you cannot take that communal life away from our people. So the problem is not the Church, the problem is, after a church service, after sharing the Grace what happens?
“So we will let people know when to reopen churches, but for now there will be no church services. You know someone like me loves church services but at a critical time like this there is nothing we can do,” the governor added.
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