All guidelines given by Lagos state government and PTF for reopening of Churches and Mosques in Lagos state.

Following the announcement by the PTF on the lifting of the ban on religious gathering on Monday June 1 2020, the Lagos state government has also announced the lifting of the ban in the state with some compulsory guidelines the religious houses must follow.

The governor said mosques are allowed to reopen on June 19, while churches are allowed to reopen on June 21, with only mandatory Friday and Sunday services, respectively.

He added that worship centres are not allowed to have more than 500 worshippers at a time, even if it falls below the 40% threshold.

"We'll be encouraging people to have more than one services and to ensure that they keep their premises clean, and disinfect before another round of worship can take place," he said.

Sanwo-Olu also said that people below the age of 15 should be excused from worship centres, and people above the age of 65 should not be allowed into the premises because they're more vulnerable to the novel disease.

Worshippers are also mandated to wear face masks before gaining entry into the worship centres.

He said physical contact between worshippers should be limited as much as possible, and advised leaders of religious centres to adhere to other safety measures to keep worshippers safe.

   

GUIDELINES BY PTF ON THE LIFTING OF BAN ON RELIGIOUS GATHERINGS IN CHURCHES AND MOSQUES

During a media briefing on Tuesday, June 2, the PTF's national coordinator, Sani Aliyu, advised that Nigerians should try as much as possible to continue to worship at home.

1)He said places of worship must sign up to full compliance with all aspects of non-pharmaceutical interventions required to protect the public from COVID-19, including but not limited to ensuring the supply of running water and soap, or alcohol sanitisers at all entry and exit points, and all high-contact locations including bathrooms.

2)The PTF recommends limiting congregational contact times in places of worship to regular church and mosque services.

3)Churches are advised to open from 5 am to 8 pm, with each service taking a maximum of one hour, with an interval of 30 minutes in between services to allow time for disinfection.

3B)For mosques, Aliyu said only the five daily prayers and Friday prayer services should be allowed to happen.

He said mosques may open 15 minutes before adhan, the Islamic call to prayer, and close 10 minutes after prayer for fajr, dhuhr, asr.

For Friday prayers, mosques are to open 20 minutes before and 20 after prayers. Congregational times for the prayers, including the sermon, the PTF said, should not exceed an hour.

4)"Islammiya schools, night vigil, Sunday school and children activities are to remain suspended," Aliyu announced.

5)The PTF also noted that religious worshippers must sanitise, be subjected to temperature checks, and wear face masks before entry into places of worship.

6)Aliyu said supervision and enforcement of the guidelines will be led by the leadership of various facilities who have been directed to discourage all close contacts between worshippers including shaking hands, hugging, kissing, handing out of materials and sharing of worship instruments including prayer mats, musical organs, microphones, etc.

7)The PTF also recommends that the capacity of the worship centers should be limited to allow for physical distancing of at least two metres between persons, with facilities encouraged to consider the use of floor or surface markings to guide distancing.

6b)The task force said prayer sessions should be staggered to accommodate worshippers and encourage greater opportunity for physical distancing. 

7)People from the same household are also encouraged to stay together during religious worship.

"Places of worship should plan if possible for separate entry and exit points, but it's also mandatory that they have measures to direct the flow of people to avoid crowding and breach of physical distancing rules," Aliyu said.

8)Business outlets within the premises of places of worship remain closed, according to the PTF, and social gatherings before and after worship are prohibited.

9)Aliyu called on vulnerable individuals with underlying medical conditions, and people above the age of 65 to stay away from places of worship so as to avoid infection that could prove fatal.

The national coordinator said places of worship that fail to comply with the guidelines should not be allowed by authorities to reopen to the public.