Tricity: Entry-cap unclear, churches to remain closed till June 14

CHANDIGARH: Lack of clarity over how many people are to be allowed at a time on their premises has prompted churches to remain closed till June 14 even as other places of worship will open their doors from Monday.
Churches will utilise the time to sanitise their areas and make changes to meet the government guidelines, continuing to hold Sunday mass service online.

“Our praying method is different from Sikhs and Hindus. We have mass service in which people pray together for more than oneand-a-half hours. At a time, there is a gathering of hundreds. It will be difficult for us to say no to people who come here if we open. So, we need a system in place on the number of people allowed. If no guidelines come, we will meet the authorities on Wednesday,” said Lawrence Malik, head, Tricity Christian Association.
Churches are planning to accommodate 50 people at a time in Sunday mass service and hold multiple services in a day. “If we get no further guidelines, we will ask the deputy commissioner to allow 50 people at a time. We will reduce the service time to an hour and sanitise the premises after every service. Even for wedding ceremonies, 50 people have been allowed. We have big spaces to accommodate 50 people with more than 6 feet distance,” Malik said.