JSR church issues Covid advisory ahead of Christmas in Jamshedpur

JAMSHEDPUR: With safety protocols back in India due to the surge in Covid cases in China and several other countries, churches in Steel City have announced that they will follow the protocols effectively during the midnight mass on Christmas.
The Catholic diocese said all 24 churches in the city have been asked to comply with Covid-appropriate behaviour during the mass gathering.
Father Vincent David, the ex-vicar general of the diocese said, “Through the churches, we have reached out to the area community leaders for mass communication and WhatsApp groups have been formed for fast dissemination of the Covid guidelines to the target crowd.”
He further said the management committees of the churches have been advised to see that proper social-distancing norms are followed at the gathering and subsequently during the Sunday morning prayers.
“Gatherings should not be in a manner that could pose Covid risk to the crowd, besides, the children and the elderly people will have to wear masks mandatorily while entering church campuses,” Fr David said, adding that churches should hold special prayers in two separate schedules if required.
The chief medical officer of the district, Dr Sahir Pall, said an advisory on Covid protocols will be issued to the public tentatively by Saturday. The senior medical official also appealed to the church hoppers to comply with the guidelines during their gatherings.
Dr Pall also said there are no active cases of Covid in the district currently. Out of the 87 samples tested on Thursday, none were found positive.
Meanwhile, the Emmanuel Baptist Church secretary, Samuel Mahapatra, said separate teams will regulate the gatherings to ensure that the guidelines are observed.
Community leader, Father E A Francis, who is also the principal of the XITE college, Gamharia, appealed to the festive enthusiasts not to neglect the advisory as they are paramount in averting the infection.
As of Thursday, all churches in the city are decorated with colourful lights and craftwork ahead of Christmas. Cheshire Home in-charge Sister Philomena said, “Multi-coloured LED bulbs clusters have been lighting up the building and it has kicked in the mood for celebration among the inmates.”