Churches in Oyo State have recommenced services after three months of stoppage due to the ban placed on social gatherings by the government.
The state government had in March, prohibited religious gatherings as part of the measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus disease.
The government, however, announced recently that churches and mosques in the state could begin services with some procedures in place.
These directives stated that religious centres must operate, at not more than twenty-five per cent capacity, while wearing facemasks throughout the service was mandatory among other measures.
The NAN correspondent, who visited some churches including the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and Winners Chapel among others on Sunday in Ibadan, observed that the churches observed the guidelines established by the government.
There were buckets of running water and bottles of liquid soap placed at the entrance for congregants to wash their hands before and after the service.
Some of the churches had earlier fumigated their environments, while members wore face masks and observed social distancing with their sitting arrangements.
Some of the churches held multiple services in order to twenty-five per cent capacity at a time while thermometers were used to check members’ temperature before they entered the church.
Also, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Chairman in Oyo state, Apostle Joshua Akinyemiju, encouraged churches to maintain the guidelines set by the government.4