Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau To Reopen Places Of Worship

The West African states of Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau have announced they will reopen places of worship after months-long closures over coronavirus fears

Freetown, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Jul, 2020 ) :The West African states of Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau have announced they will reopen places of worship after months-long closures over coronavirus fears.

Guinea-Bissau's prime minister, Nuno Gomes Nabiam, announced on Friday that mosques and churches closed in March would re-open on Saturday.

Gatherings such as weddings, baptisms and funerals will also be permitted, he said in a decree, cautioning that people should nonetheless continue wearing face masks and keep a distance from one another.

Health officials in the former Portuguese colony have registered 1,790 coronavirus cases to date, with 26 fatalities.

Sierra Leone's president, Julius Maada Bio, made a similar announcement in a televised address on Thursday evening.

In addition to opening places of worship again, Bio also said that the country's international airport will open to commercial flights again on July 22.

The nation of some 7.5 million people first enacted anti-coronavirus measures in March, which included shutting schools and places of worship and restricting travel.

The former British colony has registered 1,598 coronavirus cases to date, with 63 fatalities.

As with other poor countries in the region, coronavirus restrictions have taken an economic toll, which spurred sporadic protests in Sierra Leone in May.