The Chairperson of the Inter-Religious Council of Kigezi region, Rev.Fr Gaetano Batanyenda has requested government to keep schools and places of worship closed as long as coronavirus is still spreading in Uganda.
Schools and Places of worship present situations where social distancing won’t be observed at all yet they bring together hundreds of thousands of people, which poses a danger to the East African country.
Fr Batanyenda said Uganda should pick lessons from Europe and America where thousands have died yet they have better health care systems.
“Look at South Korea that dared to open schools, the virus spread in a short time like world fire before they closed schools again. Look at America, the virus is killing hundreds of thousands each day. I think there isn’t any need to open schools be it candidate classes or finalists till the virus is defeated” Fr Batanyenda said on Monday.
Batanyenda, who’s also the Parish Priest of Kitanga Catholic Parish in Kabale Diocese as well as the vice chairperson of Kick Corruption out of Uganda, opposed the stance of several religious leaders in the country who were demanding for places of worship to be reopened so soon.
“Our soldiers at the frontline, the health workers are contracting the disease and we open places of worship be opened? Do we open churches because the graph is going up? We would love to open and thank God for many things but it’s dangerous. Let’s not temp God, who’s there listening to our prayers” Batanyenda said.
President Museveni on March 18 imposed restrictions on worship places, schools and social gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus, no congregation prayers have since been allowed.
While leading Idd-ul-Fitr prayers recently at Old Kampala Mosque, Mufti Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubajje, called for opening of places of worship during his televised address.
Sheikh Mubajje said the world needs prayers to heal during this difficult time of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We want the government to consider the following; opening houses of worship. Prayers are among those essential activities as our motto goes” he said
On Sunday, Kampala Catholic Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga also emphasized that places of worship are the only places where people can run to seek God’s guidance, protection and intervention because of the current challenges facing the world.
His Anglican counterpart, Archbishop Samuel Kaziimba said as church leaders, they are organized and ready to abide by the standard operating procedures set up by the Ministry of Health and President Museveni to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Uganda has so far recorded 457 coronavirus cases since the outbreak.
More than 6.27 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed around the world, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 375,500 people have died, including more than 105,000 in the US. At least 2.7 million have recovered from the disease.
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