Covid-19: Otabil Kicks Against Opening of Churches amid Pandemic
Dr Otabil said churches have to endure the ban, since the crisis was not easing.
Jonas Danquah 
The founder of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Rev. Dr Mensa Otabil has sided with individuals calling for the continued enforcement of the ban on public gatherings, which has closed down Churches, Mosques, and schools.
According to Dr Mensa Otabil, it is too early to lift the ban, given that the case counts of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) are still rising.
Meanwhile, heads of Christian Ecumenical Bodies in Ghana had earlier expressed their preparedness to resume church activities, as they put together a proposal for the government, to spell out how their programmes can be conducted safely to avoid risk of congregants contracting the disease.
The proposal is a follow up to a meeting between President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and leaders of the Christian faith at the Jubilee House on April 21, 2020.
The proposal by the Ecumenical Bodies is to be jointly presented by the Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), the Most Rev. Dr Paul Boafo; the President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Rev. Prof. Yaw Frimpong-Manso; the President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC), the Most Rev. Phillip Naameh, and the President of the National Association of Charismatic and Christian Churches (NACCC), Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams.
However, Otabil, during his virtual church service yesterday, Dr Otabil said churches have to endure the ban, since the crisis was not easing.
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“This is not the time for churches to consider gathering together in assemblies because the crisis before us is not going down. Just when we thought in Ghana we were having control over the situation, we are beginning to realise the virus has a mind of its own. It doesn’t seem to correspond to some of the efforts we are making,” he said.
Dr Otabil called for patience during the current phase, while waiting for the time when churches could safely reopen for fellowship.
“It may not seem suitable to us, but that is the price we pay to make the world a better place,” he said.
He further advised his fellow worshipers to wait until it was safe to gather in one accord and emphasised that churches had a role to play in protecting society by urging adherence to current protocols, even though they were uncomfortable.
