The Catholic Church in Johannesburg has cancelled all its Easter services. This is a response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s declaration of coronavirus as a national disaster and the banning of gatherings of more than 100 people.
In the video, below President Cyril Ramaphosa announces measures to curb the spread of coronavirus:
The Archdiocese of Johannesburg, the biggest Archdiocese in the country says it will be impossible to control the number of the faithful to less than 100 during the Easter weekend.
Spokesperson for the Catholic Church, Father Mduduzi Ndlovu says they are encouraging the faithful to pray in smaller communities.
“The masses are going to be cancelled starting in Palm Sunday. Masses for Holy Week; that is Good Friday, Holy Saturday and so on, will be cancelled because of course, we cannot ascertain nor will we be able to have numbers that are below a hundred and other arrangements in the instance that can help us to have masses below a hundred should be taken up.”
In the video below, churches urge congregants to remain calm:
Another religious organisation formally heeding the 30-day ban on public gatherings of over 100 people, due to coronavirus is the Durban’s Shri Mariammen Temple in Mount Edgecombe. The Durban’s Shri Mariammen Temple is a popular destination for thousands of locals and tourists during the Easter period.
In a statement, the temple says while the usual week-long festival has been cancelled, the temple will remain open. It is urging any visitors, however, to maintain strict hygiene levels on site.The eThekwini community church says that from Wednesday it will conduct its services online. These are expected to run throughout the Easter period.
Authors – Thabile Mbhele and Minoshni Pillay
