THE COVID-19 National Oversight Committee is allowing church services to resume from this weekend in areas with COVID-19 community transmission.
Secretary to Prime Minister and National Oversight Committee Chairman Dr Jimmie Rodgers said this makes the suspension of church services in Solomon Islands the shortest compared to other countries.
“We have the shortest period that we stop church services.
“When we look at countries like Fiji, they close churches for more than six months.
“Tonga where it is a very religious country, they close their churches even longer, that is because they’re managing the risk of COVD-19,” he said.
He said in Solomon Islands the Oversight Committee made the decision to resume services because some people have complained that suspension of church services is taking too long and need to resume as soon as possible.
“…for coming weekend, church services for community transmission areas will start with the COVID-19 restriction measures, and in areas where there is no community transmission they can continue with their usual church services as usual,” he said.
Church services in Honiara and parts of the country were suspended following the outbreak of COVID-19 community transmission last month.
Dr Rodgers said church services will resume under strict COVID-19 guidelines which his committee will give to churches for members to follow.
He said the risk of COVID-19 depended entirely on an individual’s behaviour and attitude.
“Viruses cannot spread if we allow it to spread or we allow it to transmit to other people,” Dr Rodgers said.
He said COVID-19 non-community transmission areas will continue with normal church services.
By LACHLAN EDDIE
Newsroom, Honiara
