Religious organizations in Rwanda have been asked to make necessary investment in Covid-19 preventive measures ahead of a possible reopening of places of worship in the next 15 days. The decision was announced in a statement from an extraordinary cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame on Tuesday, June 16 at Village Urugwiro. “Places of worship will remain closed. In the meantime investment in Covid-19 precautionary and preventive measures is encouraged to allow readiness for reopening within 15 days upon an epidemiological assessment,” reads parts of the statement. Places of worship are among several activities whose operations were halted by the Covid-19 pandemic since mid-March. The resolution follows a recent set of guidelines pitched last week by the inter-religious council to Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), that places of worship would abide with to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in case they are given a green light to operate. Normally, places of worship are known for attracting large crowds which, if not strictly regulated, would result into increased infections of this pandemic. Religious weddings get greenlight The cabinet meeting also among others resolved that religious weddings will resume, but with attendance capped at 30 persons. According to the statement signed by Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente, the Ministry of Local Government will issue detailed guidelines in this regard. Burial ceremonies will also continue to be observed, with the limited attendance of 30 mourners. All measures adopted by the cabinet meeting are expected to be reviewed again in 15 days upon a health assessment. Rwanda currently has a total of 636 confirmed cases of whom 338 recovered and two succumbed to this pandemic.
