Coronavirus in Kenya: Cancel your wedding or have a 30-minute ceremony with 10 people

The All Saints’ Cathedral Church on Tuesday announced a raft of measures in a bid to combat the spread of Coronavirus.

Through a statement to its congregants, the church advised those whose weddings were to take place in the next four weeks to cancel them plus the receptions.

Those who had compelling reasons for their weddings to take place within that period were instructed that the Provost would give them a go-ahead on condition that only 10 people would be admitted into the sanctuary and the ceremony would last for a maximum of 30minutes.

Further, the church suspended all Sunday and weekday services effective today, for the next two weeks.

The main sanctuary will, however, remain open for individual prayers and not for groups.

Hand sanitizers will be strategically placed at entry points and congregants have been asked to avoid the use of hymn books and prayer books.

Bereaved families will be given pastoral support but the funerals will have a maximum of 10 people.

Sermons will be posted on the church’s website and social media platforms and donations will be done via mobile money transfer.

On Tuesday, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe announced that a fourth person had tested positive for Coronavirus and urged Kenyans to continue observing high levels of hygiene.

Kagwe stated that the patient had travelled from London and arrived in the country on March 9, 2020.

Additionally, the CS stated that those who tested positive (the four) are healthy and are being looked after.

"Ensure you wash your hands and avoid handshakes...this is not against our culture. We need to take these measures to contain the virus," he said.

Further, he urged the public to stay away from crowded places like weddings, funerals, nightclubs and religious congregations.

He admitted the situation would affect the economy but stated that there were plans in place to mitigate the losses.

"In order to mitigate the losses to the economy, we have considered and found ways to ensure that cargo vessels (ships and aircraft) are allowed in as long as they are disinfected in ports of departure and crews quarantined," he said.