Religious leaders condemn protocol breaches at cricket

Some religious leaders are questioning the apparent double standards of cricket fans not wearing masks during the recent T20 International series at Kensington Oval, while strict COVID-19 protocols are enforced on the faith-based community and society in general.

At the same time, some of them have called for a further ease in restrictions for religious gatherings.

The leaders, representing the umbrella organisations of various denominations and other faith-based entities, said while mask-wearing has been encouraged as one of the essential layers of protection against the spread of the virus, there were clear lapses during the five-match Betway T20I series between West Indies and England.

President of the Barbados Evangelical Association (BEA) Dr Nigel Taylor described it as an affront to health standards that have been established for the church and the wider society.

“You cannot seem to approve one set of rules or turn a blind eye to one set of rules at the expense of others,” he told Barbados TODAY on Monday.

“Everybody could have seen persons mask-less, and it comes as an affront, really, to the standard practices that would have been established…because I did not hear of any modification of the protocols.”

However, the BEA president said,  the church would follow the protocols.

“I still feel, though, that we need to take full responsibility and by taking full responsibility I can guarantee to you that the church will still maintain its sound leadership role with protecting its congregants and those who would frequent its walls,” Dr Taylor stated.

He made a case for the further easing of restrictions within churches, not because in-house dining at restaurants was again allowed from last weekend but, according to him, because of the church’s record in relation to adherence to the protocols.

“The church can be given greater flexibility to manage its own affairs in terms of seating. I am sure the churches will still maintain, not only the sanctity of the service but … the safety of its parishioners,” the church leader assured.

“One of the things the BEA has been advocating is that the Government must recognise that the church is led by responsible people. By so doing, the same way the politicians are viewed as responsible people, the church leadership must also be viewed as responsible people who are in a partnership with the Government to try to eradicate the COVID-19 virus as much as possible.”

Bishop of the Barbados-based Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies (PAWI) Selwyn Brathwaite also called for a review of the protocols for churches, while pouring scorn on the display of cricket fans bunched together without wearing masks as required.

“If we are told to wear masks and then we don’t, there is a possibility we would be at additional risks,” he told Barbados TODAY.

Turning to the current protocols for the churches, the PAWI head said: “We certainly want to have them reviewed, but we still have to watch the safety. Our membership thinks … in the context of what is happening, it is something we should begin to negotiate.”

“If we are seeing a relaxation in other places, it is possible then that there can be a review looking towards a relaxation,” Bishop Brathwaite added.

While she did not agree that the protocols should be relaxed at this time, Chairman of the Barbados Christian Council (BXC) Reverend Dr Cicely Athill-Horsford frowned on the non-wearing of the face masks at the cricket matches.

Speaking from a personal perspective since she had not yet discussed the issues with her membership, she said she feared the cricket matches could have been a super-spreader which will be seen in future case numbers. It is for that reason she said there should be no ease in restrictions for the time being.

The BXC chair told Barbados TODAY that the contention of local fans had been that if the English tourists who were here to back their team were allowed to go mask-less, then they should too.

“For me, personally, I would hold the restrictions in place until I see the outcome of what the cricket did. I am afraid that they tried and opened up to some of these things and many of us are not doing the right thing. So, right now it’s to hold the fort for another two weeks or so,” Dr Athill-Horsford suggested.

“We are not going to push any ease yet. I don’t want them to come and say, ‘ok, since you are doing that, open up the churches’ and then we have a run on the churches and they blame the church. That’s how I feel personally,” she added, as she urged church members, and residents generally, to take responsibility for their own health and safety amid the COVID pandemic.

The Muslim community is also concerned about the situation that occurred at Kensington Oval over the past week.

Secretary of the Muslim Association of Barbados Suleiman Bulbulia said “some people are asking questions why it [the non-wearing of masks] is good for them [cricket fans] and not good for us”.

“These are the conversations we will continue to have going forward, but we also want to play our role in making sure that we are not spreaders of the virus,” Bulbulia told Barbados TODAY.

Although acknowledging that protocols have been eased “a great deal already” for faith-based organisations, he said members would like a relaxation of the physical distancing rules within the mosques. He said Muslims were anxious to pray closer to each other.

“What is remaining is the physical distancing and the mask-wearing. Everything else, more or less, has been lifted. We continue to follow government guidelines and if we can get back soon to be able to have prayers fully without the distancing – but that has to be done obviously within the guidelines of what’s happening in the country – our ideal situation would be that we are able prayer next to each other in the mosques,” the Muslim leader reiterated.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb