Zimbabwean police have banned all-night prayer meetings and New Year crossover sermons as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Police spokesman Paul Nyathi said churches should abide by the current 9pm-6am (1900 GMT-0400 GMT) curfew and avoid holding meetings that go beyond 9pm.
“Police will therefore enforce the curfew order, and anyone who violates it risks being arrested. There are no all-night prayers, all-night gatherings, crossover sermons that will be allowed this year,” Nyathi said in a statement on Monday.
The ban would also affect New Year’s Eve festivities by curtailing movement of revellers from one place to another.
Nyathi urged Zimbabweans not to “get over-excited” by engaging in activities that are super-spreaders of the pandemic.
“They must limit their travels and stay at home.”
Zimbabwe has experienced a surge in COVID-19 infections since the end of November when the Omicron variant was first reported in the southern African region.
JN/APA