Coronavirus: Lift church ban, we’ll observe social distancing – GPCC to govt

The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) is appealing to the government to immediately formulate safety guidelines for churches to pave way for them to resume worship activities to resume.

The call comes as the ban on all public gatherings including church services remains in force.

But according to the GPCC, churches have proper structures and the capacity to roll out effective social distancing and safety measures unlike the market places and other business centres which have a challenge adhering to safety etiquettes.

Executive member of the Council and President of the Full Gospel Church International, Bishop S.N Mensah speaking to class news said: “You see the ban was on social gathering but we have parliament meeting…in the markets, they say social distancing but markets sometimes are crowded so if we can have people meeting at the market and parliament is meeting, recently chiefs were installing their traditional leaders which was not the best, so I think preventing church and asking church members not to meet is not the best."

"At this time we’re all helping to put in some mechanisms so we are expecting that in the shortest possible time, churches should be able to meet but with certain conditions in place."

"For instance, the church should not be full to 50 per cent capacity or 50 per cent capacity, having sanitisers and putting in place all the necessary protocols and some guidelines to govern the running of the church.”