By
Daisy CL Mandap
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| Cardinal Tong making the annoucement via a video message |
In unprecedented moves, two major churches in Hong
Kong have suspended all public mass or worship services for the next two weeks,
in an effort to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, now
officially known as Covid-19.
The landmark step was taken as China reported nearly
15,000 new confirmed cases and 254 new deaths on Wednesday, Feb 12, following a
change in its detection criteria. Hong Kong has responded to the news by
extending school closures until Mar 16, and keeping civil servants at home for
another week.
The Catholic Church was the first to make the move,
announced through a video message by a masked John Cardinal Tong, apostolic
administrator of the Diocese, which was posted earlier today, Feb. 13.
“The
next two weeks will be a crucial time to suppress the epidemic. To avoid
gatherings, the Diocese has decided to suspend all the public Masses on Sundays
and weekdays for two weeks, including the Liturgy of Ash Wednesday, from
the fifteenth to the twenty-eighth of February,” said Cardinal Tong.
“Some
Church members may be disappointed. However, I hope that everyone can
understand this is not an easy decision.”
Cardinal
Tong called on the public not to panic, and said people should care more for
their family’s health, and share anti-epidemic materials with others.
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| The notice from the House of Bishops of the Anglican-Episcopal Church |
Shortly
afterwards, another major religious group, the Anglican-Episcopal Church, to
which the Philippine Independent Church belongs, made a similar announcement.
A
notice from the House of Bishops said all group activities and public worship
services will be suspended from Sunday, Feb 15 to Saturday, Feb. 29, in the
dioceses of Hong Kong island, Eastern
and Western Kowloon.
Churches
may be opened only during set hours for “private prayers and silent meditation.”
The
notice said the decision was made at the advice of the Government, which has constantly
reminded residents to stay at home as much as possible and minimize social
contacts and gatherings.
“Churches
may make live broadcast of their services or message sharing through the
internet,” said the notice. “Details will be announced on the websites and/or
social media pages of the Province and of the parishes and mission churches
involved.”
Smaller
church organizations, including those belonging to the Global Ministers
Association, a group made up of Filipino Christian churches, said they will
still have to talk about whether they should follow suit.
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| Mass booklets have disappeared from church pews a week before mass services were suspended |
This
is the first time that both religious groups will be closing their churches’
doors to worshippers for an extended period. Not even at the height of Sars or
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which killed 299 people in Hong Kong 17
years ago, has such a step been taken.
But
weeks before, the Catholic church had already started taking measures to help
contain the spread of Covid -19 The holy water used by worshippers to dip their
fingers into on entering the church had disappeared. Those taking communion
were told that they should get the host with their hands and not directly
through the mouth. And just last Sunday, all mass booklets which could possibly
be sprayed with droplets from infected people, were taken from the pews.
In
at least one church in Hong Kong island, the priest who said mass reportedly
wore a face mask throughout the service.
The
coronavirus, which was first detected last December in the central Chinese city
of Wuhan, has spread to at least 24 countries, and infected more than 60,000
people worldwide, with tens of thousands more suspected cases. More than 1,000
people have already died from it.
Chinese
officials say the situation in Wuhan remains uncertain, as the scale of the
contagion has not been accurately estimated.
This
has led Chinese health experts to include the number of clinically diagnosed
cases to the number of confirmed cases, saying this could help patients receive
timely treatment. But it also resulted in a record number of diagnosed cases and
fatalities in one day.
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