Coronavirus Scare: No Sunday Mass In Odisha Churches Till March 31

Bhubaneswar: In view of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Odia Baptist Church in Cuttack and Church of Christ in Bhubaneswar have suspended all religious activities, including Sunday mass, till March 31.

To contain the spread of COVID-19, the churches in Odisha on Thursday decided to temporarily put on hold all religious activities.

President of Odia Baptist Church in Cuttack, Lal Mohan Roul said, “We can understand the seriousness of the situation and extend our full cooperation to the administration.”

Secretary of Church of Christ Paresh Das said that social distancing is the key to prevent the spread of coronavirus. “During church worship, hundreds of people assemble to pray. In such a situation, it is difficult to ensure social distancing. The Church Board, in consultation with other stakeholders, decided to suspend all activities till March 31 after which the decision will be reviewed,” said Das.

The Odia Baptist Church (CNI) in Berhampur and Baptist churches in Khurda and Jatni have also suspended religious activities till March 31.