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President Ramaphosa announced this week that places of worship could reopen from June 1, when alert level 3 kicks in.

Churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other recognised places of worship may resume services, but the congregations will be limited to 50 people or less.

While some welcomed the news, others are questioning the logic behind the decision.

For one thing, we’ve watched as other countries struggle to contain the virus after large gatherings in churches and places of worship were declared ‘super spreader events’, infecting scores of people with COVID-19.

Other challenges to this new regulation have come from restaurants. Wendy Alberts, the CEO of the Restaurant Association Of South Africa, spoke to Radio 947:

The restaurant industry has displayed every attempt with government to be respectful of our relationship and be respectful of the guidance and leadership that has been put out there. But when a decision is being made that advocates complete avoid to our industry and prohibits us from operating, we need to fight for our industry to be reopened.

Why cant the same methodology used to open churches be used to open restaurants? We cannot continue to trade under these restrictive conditions.

If you’d like to listen to Wendy Alberts’ full interview, you can do so here:

According to Business Insider, restaurants have introduced new strict protocols to ensure the safety of customers, citing Grace Harding, the spokesperson for the Restaurant Collective, who says that restaurants are “considerably safer and less congested” than public transport and queues at grocery stores.

The restaurant industry also employs roughly 800 000 people, and it has become evident that restaurants can’t survive on delivery services alone.

The resumption of religious services under alert level 3 has also put religious leaders at odds. While many, like the African Christian Democratic Party’s reverend Kenneth Meshoe, are pleased, others have chosen to keep up the extreme physical distancing imposed under alert levels 4 and 5.

The Daily Maverick spoke to a number of religious leaders who expressed concerns about reopening up their places of worship.

The Jesuit Institute South Africa also questioned the decision, calling it “illogical”:

“The more people mix, the more there is potential for spread. Places of worship are not immune to the virus,” they wrote in a statement.

The institute highlighted the possible financial burden of implementing preventative measures, saying many places of worship don’t have the money to “provide prescribed personal protection” or the personnel and equipment to sanitise buildings.

Mary Kluk, the president of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, says that the organisation had “concerns” about the “real dangers” of opening up their shuls.

Religious leaders aside, congregants have expressed mixed reactions to the decision, says IOL.

Sibusiso Khoza, whose father is a pastor, said though he loved church, the gatherings would pose a huge risk to people’s lives.

“This was a bad decision by the president. How will big churches determine who gets to go and not? We need to consider if this is an essential service. We’ve been keeping in touch via technology; we need to keep motivating each other not let go of our faith.”

Bishop Freda Nkosi from the Ethiopian Holy Baptist Church Zion Inyanda Yezikhova in Mamelodi East has said that her small congregation will have no trouble abiding by social distancing rules.

The 50 person limit is also already being challenged as restrictive, with President of National Council of Churches Monokoane Hlobo saying that the number of people allowed in the congregation should be determined by the size of the church.

He wants the government to allow higher numbers of attendants in larger churches.

Worshippers will be required to wear masks during services, and the usual hygiene and physical distancing protocols are mandatory.

Still, the decision is a risky one that could have adverse effects on the work that has been done to slow the spread of the virus.

It also seems to contradict the restrictions placed on other sectors of society, and there is no surprise that many in the restaurant industry are furious that similar concessions haven’t been made on their behalf.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is set to address the media later today, at 2PM, alongside Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition, Ebrahim Patel, to clarify these and other decisions.

We’ll have a live stream of that media briefing, so check in then to see what unfolds.

[sources:947&businessinsider&dailymaverick&iol]