Church wary of crowds amid delta threat
Anglican priest, the Reverend Father Sean Major- Campbell, said he will not be allowing an increased number of people in the sanctuary, arguing that more people in the church could lead to a COVID-19 outbreak.
Major- Campbell, pastor of the Christ Church in Vineyard Town, Kingston, said that no more than 25 per cent of the church’s capacity is allowed in the place of worship at any one time. Prime Minister Andrew Holness last week announced that churches would be allowed to have 70 per cent capacity, providing the space can accommodate.
“At Christ Church, if we were to have 70 per cent of capacity in the building, that would actually mean more than 200 persons. There is no way we would consider that a responsible thing to do. So, our guide or what we are following is the six-feet social distancing in terms of seating,” said Major- Campbell.
He also said that this decision was made mainly because of the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus, which is of much concern across the globe. The strain that was first identified in India is regarded as the infectious variant of the novel coronavirus thus far.
“I am very concerned because it appears to be much more potent, if you will, and contagious than the original COVID-19 because we are hearing that people who are fully vaccinated are contracting it,” said Major- Campbell
ABIDE BY THE COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
He also told THE STAR that the church is doing everything possible to ensure that the members present at church services abide by the COVID-19 protocols.
“Not only do we have security on hand, and we have members who are assigned to keep a tab on attendance, and we still encourage members to call in to indicate if they are coming for the upcoming Sunday,” the clergyman said.
At the same time, the Reverend Newton Dixon, president of the Jamaica Council of Churches, said that the delta variant is of concern to church leaders. He said that the emergence of the new strain has placed churches in a difficult position because while they welcome the relaxation of COVID19 restrictions, they are cognisant that gatherings such as worship services could contribute to the spread of the virus.
“While we are looking forward to greater participation in worship experiences, the protocols remain steadfastly in place. What we think we want to be able to do is to use those measures that mitigate spread in the event that there is an outbreak of the delta variant. ... We just want to be more careful, more strident, more intentional in ensuring that the protocols are observed,”
Dixon said.