The founder and general overseer of the Perez Chapel International has chastised the total disregard for the coronavirus preventive protocols by some institutions and individuals.
Bishop Charles Agyinasare says it is unfair that the same law is applied to people differently when church activities continue to be restricted to curb the spread of the virus.
The Bishop in a video posted on his Instagram page described as absurd how people can go about their normal activities without fear of contracting the virus until the issue of church service comes up.
Is it not amazing to you that people are okay to go and vote in primaries? They are not afraid that they will get coronavirus. They are okay to go to the market and not afraid to get coronavirus. They are okay to sit in trotro, they are okay to sit in a taxi and go everywhere. But when it comes to church it is like at the gate of the church we are distributing coronavirus. That is what the devil has made people to think.
Bishop Charles Agyinasare
His comment comes days after the governing New Patriotic Party held its primaries in 165 constituencies that saw in some cases total disregard for social distancing and other Covid-19 safety protocols.
The founder of the Potter’s Family Chapel, Alex Armstrong and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have since demanded the immediate release of religious leaders and citizens who were prosecuted for breaching the protocols.
The two parties had argued that NPP delegates violated these same protocols in the full glare of the police and also thwarted general efforts to combat the spread of the virus.
They say since everyone is equal before the law, the adherence to these protocols as directed by president Akufo-Addo must be observed by all and when they have been breached, equal punishment should be meted out to the offender.
But Bishop Agyinasare says the pandemic is a satanic agenda that seeks to prevent Christians from going to church, hence the reason why restrictions have been put in place to limit religious activities when the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Identification Authority have been left to operate freely.
“Is it not amazing to you that our president, our Minister of Health who are all Christians, when it comes to taking a decision on church activities during this pandemic are afraid.
“Everybody believes that people can go and vote and the coronavirus will not get them. We can go and register and the virus will not get them and even distribute NIA cards. Have multitude gather on a park and still not get the virus. But if they come to church the coronavirus will get them. It is a demon,” he said.
Since the easing of restrictions by president Akufo-Addo, the Electoral Commission has set June 30 to begin its mass voters registration exercise with the NIA already distributing cards generated during an earlier registration exercise.
In his 10th address to the nation, the President announced the reopening of schools for final year students and churches for services with only 100 members for an hour amid other stringent measures.
The development generated heated debate on social media with many arguing that the protocols set in place for churches were to indirectly prevent them from reopening.