South Africa’s faith communities should be more innovative when they hold the upcoming Easter, Ramadan and Passover services in order to stem a possible “third wave” of the coronavirus pandemic, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.
Speaking in his weekly message to the nation, Ramaphosa issued the advice following medical experts’ warnings on a looming third wave of Covid-19 infections in the country during congregational worshipping that occurs around this time of the year among religious groups.
“Large gatherings, whether religious or otherwise, have the potential to spread the virus, despite the application of measures around social distancing and sanitising,” Ramaphosa reminded his compatriots as millions of them prepared to join others across the world for these three important religious gatherings.
Ramaphosa noted that in a country that enshrined the right to religious freedom, “all efforts must be made to support our people in the exercise of this right.”
“In exercising this right, we need to make sure that we do not place the rights or the lives of others at risk. This is a principle that the religious leaders I met with, fully support and appreciate.”
Among the country’s three important religions are Judaism whose faith members celebrate Passover, Christianity which observes Easter, and Islam whose faithful observe the holy month of Ramadan.
For the second year in a row, South Africa’s faith communities will mark these occasions amid a devastating global pandemic that has cost the lives of over 52,000 South Africans, and 2.5 million people worldwide since it broke out in China in December 2019.
NM/jn/APA