COVID-19 Safety Precautions: Catholic Priest Tasks Worshippers On Forbearance

Rev. Fr. Jerome Akinyemi of the Catholic Church of The Annunciation, FESTAC Town, Lagos, has called on parishioners and Lagosians generally to comply with protocols put in place to checkmate further spread of COVID-19.

Jerome made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.

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According to him, observance of the protocols is in the interest of the people.

He reassured parishioners that the inconveniences would not last forever but would soon be a thing of the past.

“No matter what we are experiencing now by way of inconvenience during our worship, they are things that will come and go,” he said.

The Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) team of the Church also assured parishioners of their safety against coronavirus, as long as they obeyed the relevant guidelines.

The Team Lead of the HSE, Lady Tessy Etok, said that the Church had complied with all guidelines against the spread of COVID-19.

She added that apart from the handwashing, temperature checks and physical distancing observed, the team decontaminated the Church after each service.

Etok, who is also a Health and Safety expert, urged Lagosians to obey the guidelines, not just in places of worship but at homes, markets and workplaces.

Another member of the HSE team, Mr Anthony Ukhun said that the decontamination process was safe.

Ukhun who supervised the process, said: “We had to utilise alcohol with hydrogen peroxide for both the safety of our parishioners and the sensitive nature of the materials in the Church.

“Alcohol vapourises and so in less than five minutes after we finish, that area is dry and it is absolutely safe.

“No parishioner is exposed because it’s done after mass and the team that administers it wears high level respiratory equipment.”