Vietnam Asks Religious Groups to Take Strict Covid-19 Measures

UCA News ^ | 2/24/21

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About 500,000 health staff and 116,000 frontline medical workers will be vaccinated by the end of March

Health authorities have urged Vietnam's religious leaders to stop in-person services and move worship online to contain the coronavirus pandemic following a ceremony at a pagoda attended by a large crowd.

On Feb. 20, Vien Giac Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Tan district was closed after a large crowd gathered to worship at an early lunar year ceremony the previous night.

On Feb. 22, district health officials reported that Covid-19 tests of the temple’s eight monks and 24 volunteers proved negative.

However, the city’s Center for Disease Control asked local mosques, pagodas, temples, churches and other places of worship to organize services with fewer than 20 people. They must also provide health declarations, antiseptics, face masks, check body temperatures and maintain strict social distancing, while facilities must be cleaned on a regular basis.

Venerable Thich Thien Quy, secretary of the Buddhist Management Committee based in the city, called on Buddhists to protect their personal health and religious activities, especially mid-lunar first month festivals, by following health regulations when they visit pagodas.

Anthony Nguyen Huy Hoang from Trung Quan Parish said Catholics have been maintaining social distance when attending lunar new year ceremonies and services at churches since Feb. 9. Local authorities also warned many parish priests against holding services with large groups.

Hoang, who works at a nursery, said he hopes local schools will be opened next month as the city had reported no locally transmitted infections during the previous 11 days and only one place was still kept in quarantine.

Father Francis Xavier Do Duc Luc, head of the Office of Xuan Loc Bishop’s House, said a new wave of Covid-19 variants were detected just before the lunar new year........