Mumbai: The Archdiocese of Bombay has proactively come up with an advisory in response to the rapid spread of Corona virus that has affected over seventy countries including India. With the crisis showing no sign of relenting, India has reported another case of corona virus on Friday, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 31.
In view of the development, His Eminence Oswald Cardinal Gracias and Archbishop of Mumbai on Friday issued a set recommendations for the control of virus.
- Encourage the faithful not to shake hands at the sign of peace but to greet each other with folded hands (Namaste).
- Encourage people to receive Holy Communion in the hand
- On Good Friday at Veneration of the Cross, people are discouraged from kissing the Cross. The Blessing with a raised Cross would be adequate. Those who desire can make a reverence with a bow and go back.
- Priests and ministers have been advised to purify their hands in a bowl of water or sanitizer
- Churches have been asked to keep the Holy Water stoops dry.
The Cardinal said, “All these measures are temporary and will be revised from time to time.” He advised that these norms will be followed till Easter, April 12, 2020. If there’s any indication that an individual in the community is infected, Parish Priests can temporarily suspend meetings of cells, sodalities, associations, etc, he said.
The Cardinal advised people not to panic as the government authorities are doing their best to tackle this situation. He urged all to co-operate so that this health hazard can be effectively addressed.
The Cardinal ended his advisory in a prayer.
Prayer
Almighty and merciful God, who show your love to all creation everywhere,
Hear graciously the prayers we make for all those affected by the Corona Virus in various parts of the world.We come before you asking for a quick control of the outbreak, for a healing of those affected, for the victims and their families.
We pray for the doctors doing research that an effective vaccine to combat the sickness is speedily found.
We pray for the Government and health authorities that they take appropriate steps for the good of the people.
We make this prayer through Christ Our Lord.
Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry on Thursday asked states to form rapid response teams at district, block and village levels, stating cases of community transmission have been observed. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan asked the private hospitals in the Delhi-NCR region to join hands with the government hospitals to fight this global pandemic.
A total of 35 labs have been identified for collecting and testing of samples corona virus cases, according to the Health Ministry statement. The number of such labs would be increased to 100 plus, it said.
As the number of corona virus cases increase in India, the government has also decided to screen all international flights and passengers coming into the country, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said. The central government has also made COVID-19 free certificate mandatory for travellers from Italy and South Korea.