Muslim leaders in Mombasa have maintained that they will not
reopen mosques despite the go-ahead given by the Inter-faith Council.
Speaking to the press on Tuesday, the leaders stated that
having only 100 people in mosques is practically impossible since such premises
also have hundreds of workers.
They argued that the elderly are often seen boarding the
ferry, buying essentials in supermarkets and boarding flights but they are
being denied the right to worship.
Further, they said that most political leaders are
well-advanced in age but have been seen conducting meetings yet the old are
being told to stay at home when places of worship reopen.
Last week, the Interfaith Council announced the way forward
as far as reopening places of worship is concerned.
Through a statement read by Archbishop Anthony Muheria, the
council noted that public places of worship will be reopened today (Tuesday)but
a number of guidelines have to be adhered to.
- There
must be sufficient stations of handwashing with soap or sanitization with
alcohol-based sanitizers
- All
congregants must wear proper face masks over their mouth and nose
throughout the service
- Social
distance of 1.5m between all congregants must be observed
- Maximum
number of congregants should not exceed 100persons
- Children
under the age of 13 and persons over the age of 58 are encouraged to stay
at home during the first phases of reopening
- Service
should not exceed 60minutes
Further;
- There
shall be regular cleaning and disinfection of places of worship
- Care
in avoiding all unnecessary contact during worship
- Use of
thermal guns
- Collections
and other activities that involve passing around items will be rethought
The council noted that reopening places of worship will
follow four phases which will depend on the infection trend and spread.
A number of Nairobi churches including CITAM, Parklands
Baptist and Mavuno Church also announced that their doors will remain locked