President Akufo-Addo has announced the restriction on the number of congregants at churches and mosques will be lifted from August 1, 2020.
Churches and Mosques in Ghana were directed to have only 100 people at a time of worship and their services was to last for only 1 hour.
He also extended the duration of religious activities for churches and mosques in the country from one to two hours.
The new directive takes effect from Saturday, August 1, 2020.
According to the President, this decision was based on the high level of compliance with the safety protocols by the religious bodies.
“Our Churches and Mosques have been open for prayers and services for the past seven (7) weeks, adhering to twenty-five per cent occupancy (25%) or up to one hundred congregants over a time duration of up to one hour per service. I extend my deepest appreciation to our religious leaders for their strict adherence to the safety protocols, which have prevented any known outbreaks, since they restarted their services.
I have sorely missed going to Church, as I am sure many others have. I am, therefore, very happy to announce that, in consultation with our Church leaders, from 1st August, 2020, the restrictions on the number of congregants worshipping at a time in Church will be lifted, with the length of worship extended from one (1) to two (2) hours per service. Church leaders, who are desirous of implementing this enhanced easing directive, must ensure that congregants wear face masks at all times, and the one (1) metre social distancing rule is scrupulously applied. These same guidelines apply to worship in our Mosques. With greater numbers of congregants likely to return for worship, I would, respectfully, ask the religious leaders to pay even greater attention to the fresh air ventilation of their premises, rather than relying on the use of air conditioners.”
At the time of the address, Ghana had confirmed 32,437 positive cases with 28,927 clinical recoveries and 3,349.
