The Presbyterian Church of East Africa on Tuesday announced
several measures it had taken to curb the spread of Coronavirus.
The church suspended meetings at all levels for the next
three weeks and asked members to avoid religious gatherings, retreats and
seminars.
PCEA stated that funeral services should be attended by
family members and discouraged viewing of the body at the mortuary.
“The entourage should go straight to the graveside or an
open field where a short service of not more than one hour will be conducted.
“Avoid food being served in funerals. Sanitisers or soap and
clean water should be provided,” read the statement in part.
The church also asked its members to take care of the old
(above 70years) and the young ones.
“Visit them only when it is necessary and the number of
visitors should be restricted,” said the church.
Coronavirus cases have climbed to over 400 across Africa
with nations across the continent imposing a range of measures to try to
prevent the spread.
Following the outbreak of the highly contagious virus, the
Chinese billionaire and co-founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, donated 20,000 testing
kits, 100,000 masks and 1,000 protective suits to each African country to help
the fight against coronavirus.
The World Health Organisation has warned that the
coronavirus pandemic is a "defining global health crisis of our
time", and urged countries to test all suspected cases.
Globally, the virus has now infected more than 190,000
people and killed at least 7,989.
African states have imposed wide-ranging and stringent new
measures as the coronavirus begins to spread more rapidly across the continent.
Some of the measures include closing schools, banning large
gatherings and shutting borders in an effort to combat the spread of the virus.