Jamaica Church to Ban Shaking of Hands in fear of COVID-19
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Dr. Stevenson Samuels, the pastor of the Escarpment Road New Testament revealed that “handshakes are way too risky”. He was speaking about methods of preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
“I’m thinking we have to discontinue these form of greetings and find other ways,” he said.
The new Novel coronavirus or COVID-19, which originated in China, has killed more than 3,000 persons around the world and has infected 100,000+ others in over 80 countries.
The virus is easily spread between people who are in close contact with each other, The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed.
Samuels also said that his church has taken steps already, to reduce the spread of the virus, if it gets to Jamaica.
He added that he and his congregation had immediately instituted the presence of wipes at the church’s usher station, for anyone desiring to have access.
They are also planning to engage the use of hand sanitizers, and those will be installed.
Prayer and more Preparation
The church will have a ‘virus talk’ this weekend, Samuels added.
Some health professionals from the church will be educating the congregation about the virus and how it can be prevented so it won’t be circulated.
The church will go through a period of prayer and fasting at this time. This is an issue and they are not only concerned for Jamaica, but also for the rest of the world.”
Bishop Rowan Edwards, the head of the Lighthouse Assembly Ministries of Jamaica, said his church is making all the preparations to conquer even though the virus is a plague.
He also spoke about telling the people that they need to be aware of their environment, be sure that they practice good hygiene, don’t put hands in the face, and as much as possible, they should be careful of hugging and shaking hands.
However, he revealed that God’s work won’t be put on hold because of the virus.
The president of the Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Everett Brown, said that he has been using the information that is given by the Ministry of Health and Wellness to educate his people about the importance of protecting themselves and those close to them.
“We tell our people about the importance of avoiding contact through handshakes, washing hands and sanitizing, because those are the precautionary measures being put out there,” he said.
They will have health officials coming in just to give out the general information about utilizing the best practices where hygiene is concerned.
According to reports many other churches are expected to follow similar practices to avoid the spread of the virus.
