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Funeral services in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are to be held not later than 11 a.m. to ensure the completion of burial before 3 p.m.

To support this, cemeteries to be closed at 3 p.m., the Office of the Prime Minister said, on Thursday, as it reported on a meeting between Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and a representative grouping of the Coalition of Churches last week Friday.

The group comprised Pastor Stephen Ollivierre, Bishop Wendell Davis, Reverend Adolf Davis and Pastor Reynold Murray. 

The meeting was convened to discuss a number of issues relating to the COVID-19 protocols for mass gatherings and their implications for religious worship and other church activities, a press statement said.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Simone Keizer-Beache and Cabinet Secretary, Kattian Barnwell-Scott also attended the virtual meeting. 

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“During the very fruitful discussions, several concerns were articulated and a number of suggestions and recommendations were proposed,” the statement said.

The decision regarding funerals and burials are among proposals that are either being actively pursued or are under consideration as a result of the meeting.

The other proposals are that church leaders are to notify the police in their districts of funerals that are scheduled to facilitate the management of such gatherings particularly with regards to the procession.

Funeral homes are also requested to refrain from playing live or amplified during funeral processions.

The meeting agreed to a review of the current COVID-19 mass gathering protocols as they apply to churches to be undertaken within the next three weeks.

“In addition, the members of the committee have agreed to meet with other members of the Christian community, particularly the leaders of churches who appear uncooperative or non-cooperative with the existing protocols, to encourage support for the measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” the statement said.

“The meeting concluded with the church leaders agreeing to consider taking the vaccine in support of the vaccination drive by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment. A meeting is to be held between the chief medical officer and the church leaders soonest on this matter.”

2 replies on “Funeral must now start by 11; cemeteries close at 3”

  1. I caution church leaders to be very careful with the state machinery. Church and State coalition has never and will never work to the glory of God because the State is generally usually corrupt. I’m smelling a rat right here… leave it to have it’s way and it is the church that will suffer.
    Now, there isn’t a curfew so why must funerals even with a controlled number be that early. Bars etc still open at all unreasonable hours. Do the police check bars etc dutifully like they appear to want them do the church?
    Imagine, gov’t want to help church leaders make up their minds about taking the vaccine. The very PM was sceptical about taking the vaccine and there isn’t any credulity about him taking the real vaccine. The church members need to be smart and independent. The church leaders’ voices is not always necessarily the voice of God. How dare them if they try to tell their members to take the vaccine. But that’s easy for them to do because some of them tell their members who to vote for in national elections.
    This while covid things is really a farce. Bleeding money is the real purpose behind it and guess what we the populace not benefiting from it but we should be their guinea pigs. This whole thing is so evil and many, including the money sucking church leaders won’t and can’t see it. The world will end soon.

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