St. Andrew’s Church compound in Abu Dhabi will be closing temporarily following the UAE government’s efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country with immediate effect, starting March 12, Thursday which will last until further notice.
In a post on their official Facebook account, Reverend Andrew Thompson said that they have a duty to take care of thousands of worshippers who come at their church grounds weekly. Thus, they have the responsibility to take care of all of over 60 congregations that gather within the same place every week.
“St Andrew’s church is home to over 60 congregations numbering several thousand worshippers gathering in the same space every week. We have a duty of care for all of these groups and we take this responsibility seriously. Against the backdrop of schools, universities and conferences being closed down in the UAE, we have decided to voluntarily close down as we cannot meet the standards required to keep people safe,” said the reverend.
Rev. Thompson furthered that they will close down church services, community group activities as their response to the UAE government’s drive to contain the spread of the disease.
“The UAE government are committed to containing the spread of Covid 19 and we join them in their desire to ensure that their country is safe. Following advice, we will close down all church services and community group activities taking place on St Andrew’s compound with immediate effect from Thursday, 12th March 2020. We are following best practice set by the UAE authorities by closing St Andrew’s compound until further notice,” he said.
