- Australian police imposed a fine on the church of the Christian Embassy in Sydney for violating the Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
- The church held worship services for 60 people in hot spots of the pandemic.
- It was fined 5000 Australian dollars and 30 parishioners were fined 1000 Australian dollars.
On Monday, Australian police criticized a church in Sydney for ignoring the city’s Covid-19 lockdown measures by holding a service for 60 people in a pandemic hotspot.
The church is part of the Embassy of Christ, an international religious organization based in Lagos, Nigeria, which has a record of spreading Covid-19 conspiracy theories.
After being reported by residents on Sunday, the police entered the Church of the Christian Embassy in Sydney and imposed a fine of 5,000 Australian dollars (3,600 US dollars) on the organization and imposed a fine of 1,000 Australian dollars on 30 parishioners.
Read | Australia expands Covid-19 lockdown due to fear of spreading to rural areas
Australian media quoted a live broadcast from Blacktown Church in Sydney’s western region on Sunday as saying: “In Jesus’ name, we reject any blockade in our city. We declare that the blockade is over, in the name of Jesus.”
The Sydney Church did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
New South Wales Governor Gladys Berejiklian said: “When you see people blatantly contradicting what we know works, it’s always frustrating and disappointing.” The capital— Said at the press conference.
“This is the key: Keep people away from hospitals and make sure we keep people as safe and healthy as possible. We know that vaccines have such a huge impact on this.”
800 new cases per day
The entire Greater Sydney is currently in home quarantine, because Australia’s largest city is working hard to control the Delta-type epidemic, and there are currently more than 800 new cases every day.
Residents are only allowed to leave home to buy necessities, exercise, in an emergency or for some other reason.
Gary Worboys, the state’s deputy police chief, said that the church service was a “disappointing” incident and “undidly irritated many people.”
On Monday, videos of church services will no longer be available on the Facebook page of the Christian Embassy in Sydney.
The website of the Sydney Church shows Prime Minister Scott Morrison explained in April 2020 that the church can broadcast or stream videos of services, and that those who provide such services should abide by workplace rules and Social distancing agreement.
Since then, the rules have been tightened to prohibit all face-to-face services.
The Global Christian Embassy Organization is led by Chris Oyakhilome and is described on its website as a pastor, teacher, TV presenter, and best-selling author Reality Rhapsody.
He is also the President of Loveworld Inc, a religious broadcasting and streaming network.
The British broadcast regulator Ofcom ruled in April that Loveworld Ltd is associated with the Christian Embassy and that the company violated the country’s broadcasting regulations for the third time by making misleading and potentially harmful statements about the coronavirus pandemic and the vaccine.
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