Original Research

Responses of Christians to COVID-19 policies: A case study of selected BONAVADA Pentecostal churches, Cameroon

Helen N. Linonge-Fontebo, Magezi E. Baloye

Received: 22 May 2024; Accepted: 28 Aug. 2024; Published: 04 Oct. 2024

Copyright: © 2024. The Author(s). Licensee: AOSIS.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) took many lives in developed countries than the Sub-Sahara. In Cameroon, the preventative measures were put in place after one case of a returning French national from Europe was tested positive. Measures included mask wearing, social distancing, prohibition of gathering of more than 50 persons, observance of hygiene measures and avoidance of close contact with other persons, as prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Regardless of the prescribed strategies, infected numbers increased to 1445 on 06 July 2020. Knowledge on defiance would therefore, be helpful in future pandemics. The study availed feedback from selected churches to understand their experience and to identify determinants of adherence to the COVID-19 measures in Cameroon, given that some pastors and Christians deliberately ignored preventive measures based on religious belief and the view that defiance of social distancing practices was permissible on the grounds of faith, solidarity and love.

Objectives: The article explored how selected Pentecostal churches defied the COVID-19 protocols in targeted regions of Cameroon based on faith reasons, contributing to the spread of the virus.

Method: Mixed method between qualitative and desktop was employed within BONAVADA (Cameroon).

Results: The defiance of some churches under study was unhelpful because the COVID-19 grew rapidly while they were attempting to resist protocols.

Conclusion: Unnoticeable church defiance to protocols contributed to the spread of pandemic.

Contribution: The article concretise the government strictness in case future pandemics engulf the country.

Keywords: Christians; Cameroon government policies; COVID-19 pandemic; Pentecostal churches; BONAVADA area.

Introduction

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which had economic, social and political repercussions for nations throughout the world, originated in Wuhan, China, and was a global disaster that exerted a significant effect on human life. It affected the Pentecostal churches too, because it was necessary to adopt a new approach during religious services. In order to limit the spread of the virus, policies were introduced and vaccinations were developed and administered. The church responded to the situation by holding worship services at home, handing out liturgical guidelines and preaching the word of God through live streaming or video-recording services (Darmawan et al. 2021).

The African continent had witnessed earlier pandemics similar to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 1918 and 1919, the influenza pandemic known as the Spanish flu ravaged large swaths of the African continent and caused between 30 000 000 and 50 000 000 deaths worldwide. Africa lost a greater percentage of its population to that pandemic than did Europe; although ‘each continent lost roughly 2.3 million lives to the influenza…Africa suffered far more disproportionately from the influenza pandemic’ (Philips 2020). Howard Philips notes that of all the continents, Africa, and particularly sub-Saharan Africa, suffered the highest average mortality rate during that pandemic. The local repercussions were mostly political, economic and religious. Many African churches and communities, such as the Aladura churches in West Africa and spiritual churches in eastern and southern Africa, were established in the wake of the crisis in response to the challenges posed by the pandemic. While COVID-19 may have presented opportunities for African religious communities, the context and circumstances in each case were different, as were the principal social actors. The Pentecostal community in Africa, including that in Cameroon, found itself compelled to adopt innovative strategies in response to the demands placed on it by the pandemic (Ukah 2020).

Cameroon is located in central Africa. It is a bilingual country, with English and French being the two official languages. The COVID-19 outbreak occurred in the midst of a 4-year civil crisis in the two English speaking regions (North West and South West) and security concerns in the northern and eastern parts of the country. The first case of COVID-19 was identified in Cameroon on 06 March 2020, when a French national returning from Europe tested positive. Under the leadership of the prime minister, preventive measures were instituted nationally to contain the local COVID-19 outbreak. These included the mandatory wearing of face masks in public places, the intensification of contact tracing strategies, increased testing capacity and the establishment of a toll-free phone line. Despite all these coordinated actions by the government, the number of COVID-19 cases increased, with the number of new cases a day reaching a peak of 1445 on 06 July 2020.

Throughout history, severe illnesses and epidemics have affected biblical writers and Christian churches, and the way in which the churches responded to those scourges provides us with a historical backdrop against which to view the response of the contemporary church to COVID-19. Examples are the Plague of Cyprian, which ravaged the Roman Empire; the bubonic plague, which affected all of Europe, killing millions and severely weakening the Roman Empire; the Black Death, which caused the death of one-third to half of the population in different parts of Europe. These were followed by the outbreak of smallpox and the Spanish flu. All these serve as examples of how past pandemics have influenced Christian responses.

Coronavirus disease 2019 forced the church to do things differently and identify creative ways to fulfil its mission. Occurring in the midst of Boko Haram attacks in the northern part of Cameroon, internal displacement because of Ambazonian crisis in the North West and South West Regions, and the border problems in the eastern part of Cameroon sharing borders with Central African Republic, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the existing crises that were already having a negative effect on the economy.

Countries in sub-Saharan Africa appeared to be the least affected by the pandemic, accounting for barely 5% of the global COVID-19 burden (Siewe Fodjo et al. 2021). However, it is speculated that this low figure may be attributable to the underreporting of cases, early and effective lockdown measures, the large number of youth in the population, previous exposure to other viruses, strong immunity among the population as a result of frequent exposure to pathogens, and geographical and/or genetic factors.

Research methods and design

The researchers employed the interview method to gather data from both church leaders and Christians in Cameroon. The research was qualitative, with a descriptive approach having been adopted entailing the use of an unstructured interview guide. Data were gathered from five churches falling within the Pentecostal and Charismatic group, with the study being conducted from 07 February to 31 March 2023 among the churches in the BONAVADA area, located in Fako Division of the South West Region of Cameroon, and examining the responses of churches to measures instituted to contain the spread of the virus. Views of 25 church leaders, workers and members from five Pentecostal and Charismatic churches were critically analysed and presented. Five members, male and female, between the ages of 30 and 50 years were selected from each church based on their knowledge of COVID-19. Non-probability sampling through convenience sampling with the use of content analysis was employed to elicit the opinions of the participants during meetings, at church, at markets and in homes based on their experiences. The target population was Pentecostal churches in the BONAVADA area, which were identified through the saturation method.

Representatives of the Charismatic and Pentecostal churches were chosen because these were the categories of people who, as a matter of their participation in church affairs, observed the actual changes in the religious practices of their churches. The data were analysed using the descriptive research method. This methodology reduces researcher bias in the analysis and presentation of data elicited from informants, and provides the opportunity for a detailed analysis of the phenomenon under review. As a result of the need to observe social distancing and the lockdown order and its limitation on movement, various social media applications were used to disseminate the interview questions and elicit information from participants.

To satisfy ethical requirements, the participants were assured that the study was being conducted for academic purposes and that their identity would be kept confidential, their time would be respected and that their participation was voluntary, which meant that they could withdraw at any point and decline to answer any particular question. All data were anonymous and treated with absolute confidentiality. In short, the aim of the research was to obtain feedback from five selected churches to understand their experience and to identify determinants of adherence to the COVID-19 measures in Cameroon, given that some pastors and Christians deliberately ignored preventive measures because of religious beliefs and practices in terms of which faith, solidarity and love were seen as having the ability to transcend social distancing.

Empirical literature review

Insight from large bodies and organisations

It is undeniable that backsliding may occur because of a lack of pastoral care. Many church members suffered as a consequence of the economic downturn associated with the pandemic, with some losing their job as a result of the need to reduce employee numbers, and others reporting bankruptcy and the closure of their businesses.

Through the Bible, God reminds his people that nothing new happens under the sun, suggesting that all situations find an echo in history. The Bible contains accounts of numerous pandemics, although in different contexts (Darmawan et al. 2021:96).

Many people submitted to self-isolation as countries across the globe declared lockdowns in response to the rapid spread of infections with the coronavirus. Firstly the reaction was one of solidarity, as evidenced by the fact that 65 churches and movements of different denominations united in the British Isles to produce ‘The UK Blessing’, watched online millions of times. Similarly, secondly Christian churches in India made a video in which a blessing was sung in 31 languages spoken on the sub-continent. Thirdly, in the wake of Pentecost, a movement began called ‘Germany prays together’; this included churches belonging to different traditions and received support from the government. In many locations, there was a sense of mutual encouragement and hope in spite of the suffering, loss of life and profound uncertainty about what would happen next.

Online attendance of church services exceeded that of the usual services taking place in a church building; for example, attendance at a Pentecostal church in the Chicago area grew from 250 to 300 for in-house events to 1000 to 1400 viewers online, while at a seasonal episcopal church in Florida attendance doubled when services were conducted digitally. Migrant workers abroad and believers in countries where Christian worship is restricted numbered among those who joined online (Pluss 2020).

However, an appeal was made not to forget those unable to connect, especially the elderly, who might not have learnt to use the Internet and those who might not be able to afford a mobile phone. Parishioners were therefore contacted by phone, and sermons were printed and dropped in mail boxes. Many churches, especially those in rural areas, made extensive progress in becoming up to date digitally, with some receiving help with digital material from other churches. Churches realised that they needed to extend emotional support. The reformed Pastoral Service in Hungary had to increase the number of volunteers to take the numerous phone calls received from people struggling with loneliness, or experiencing a sense of failure, or dealing with alcoholism, depression, domestic violence and work-related problems, or who had lost their employment (Pluss 2020). The ban on congregation thus in fact amplified virtual, personal and family religious practice.

Pentecostal leaders in many African countries viewed COVID-19 as having a religious significance, purpose and objective. The information, sermons, messages and interpretations disseminated by church leaders proved indicative of a range of perceptions, perspectives and practices relating to the way in which churches and their leaders were coping with and adapting to the new and unusual circumstances introduced by COVID-19. Interpreted as a plague, the COVID-19 pandemic was seen as a phenomenon that could be both understood and controlled. Some viewed it as divine retribution, for which there was a remedy in the form of a return to God, prayers, acknowledgement of God in human affairs, and so forth. Some claimed that the pandemic was not in fact caused by a virus, but was instead a byproduct of 5G telecommunications technology. Some Pentecostal leaders proclaimed the pandemic to be a harbinger of the ‘end-time’, a prelude to the second coming of Jesus Christ (Ukah 2020).

Church adherence to government-prescribed measures introduced in response to COVID-19

The closure of schools and all religious centres and the prohibition on activities involving more than 50 persons beginning on 20 March 2020 in Lagos, triggered anger and defiance rather than compliance and support among Pentecostal pastors. David Oyedepo, the founder-owner of the Living Faith Church franchise, was the first to flout the shut-down 48 h later by holding a Sunday service even when police officers arrived to state that this was not permitted. In response, Oyedepo claimed that shutting down churches would be like shutting down hospitals, and that it is not the number of people that makes fellowship, but rather the gathering of the brethren. The public and social media outcry against Oyedepo’s flagrant disregard of the government instruction compelled him to issue an apology through his special assistant, Steve Ogah, in which he rationalised his action by stating that as a responsible organisation, Living Faith Church fully supported and encouraged compliance with all initiatives of the government to combat the spread of infection. However, he cautioned that information should be strategically disseminated to the grassroots and noticed that the church is a family and not an industry (Ukah 2020). Therefore, enlightenment and sensitisation from the church platform is a most effective way to get people to play their part in terms of prayers and intercessions rather than just staying away from church without knowing what to do. He offered the assurance that as a responsible and law-abiding organisation, Living Faith Church undertook to ensure compliance with government directives in all its churches across the state. The question here, however, was whether the bishop was more interested in the prayers or in the offerings that congregants would bring. Was there any hidden agenda?

The Indonesian Council of Ulama issued several fatwas containing a ban on worship attended by large numbers of people. A small group of fundamentalist Muslims initially opposed the policy, but eventually followed it. Some Pentecostal churches attempted to continue holding worship together for reasons of Holy Communion, but eventually they too followed government regulations. The Catholic Church followed government regulations consistently, adopting a policy for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like Helen Ukpabio, Enoch Adeboye, the leader of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), the largest Pentecostal franchise in Africa, proclaimed COVID-19 to be a manifestation of God’s power, especially among technologically advanced nations that pride themselves on their medical advances in tackling human problems. The belief expressed was that because the pandemic was evidence of God performing his awesome power before nations, the virus would not infect those ‘who serve God wholeheartedly’ (Ukah 2020).

Perhaps to reduce the public controversy that arose in response to his earlier comment, the RCCG leader donated a large quantity of medical supplies to the Lagos state government, including 200 000 hand gloves, 8000 bottles of hand sanitiser and 8000 surgical face masks. The church also donated 11 intensive care units, equipped with beds fully fitted with ventilators in Lagos, Ogun and Plateau states to contribute to the improvement of healthcare facilities in Nigeria. Similarly, Oyedepo’s Winners Chapel announced the donation of ambulances, test kits and personal protective equipment to the Lagos and Ogun state governments (Ukah 2020).

Controversial South African-based Malawian Pentecostal entrepreneur Prophet Shepherd Huxley Bushiri, founder-owner of Enlightened Christian Gathering Church, set up subscription-only online religious services, with worshippers paying the sum of 80 South African rands monthly to gain access (Ukah 2020). The Pentecostal church has a comparative advantage over other religious organisations with little experience with online technology, especially the Internet.

While Charismatic and Pentecostal churches have traditionally shied away from issues of a social nature, the impact of the virus on their congregations compelled them to react. Given the different, and at times conflicting, ideo-theological standpoints on social issues most congregations have urged cooperation with government directives. The leadership of a particular South African church refused to comply with government directives prohibiting large church gatherings; however, the congregation itself unanimously followed directives from the government and health authorities aimed at containing the spread of the virus. The World Council of Churches (WCC) reiterated breaking the line of transmission of the virus through the strict observation of preventive measures and following the restrictions and advice provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) to avoid the risk of becoming sources of transmission rather than relying purely on grace (World Council of Churches 2020).

Taruona (2020) reports that on World Water Day in 2020, which fell on 22 March that year, the WCC and ACT Alliance acknowledged that most people in the developing world lack access to adequate safe and clean water for drinking, let alone for hand-washing. They reaffirmed the responsibility of Christians to ensure that people have access to sufficient clean water to meet their needs, including hand-washing. The two bodies also reiterated the importance of hand-washing with soap and water alongside physical distancing as means to prevent infection.

Communion celebrations

The Lord’s Supper (LS) is a central rite of the Christian religion, in which bread and wine are consecrated by an ordained minister and consumed by the minister and members of the congregation in obedience to Jesus’ command at the Last Supper, ‘Do this in remembrance of me’ (1 Cor 11:24). In most churches, before the outbreak of COVID-19, Holy Communion was administered through the use of a single cup for drinking wine (the blood of Christ), with ministers wiping the lip of the cup before administering the wine to the next communicant. Communicants would queue up, and then come forward to receive Communion. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, some churches suspended the celebration of LS while others made some adjustments such as providing individual cups for communicants and the ministers coming to the pews to serve members rather than having members stand in queues. Some pastors instructed congregants to observe the LS at home, and supplied Bible readings and prayers prior to the taking of the bread and wine. Similarly, Chukwuma (2021:4) reports that the General Overseer of the RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, celebrated the LS via Dove Television Channel, with members directed to tune in to the channel and observe the rite at home. Some members believed that observing the LS in their own homes reduced the sacredness of the institution, while others believed that celebration of the LS should be suspended until the federal government permitted the resumption of church services. Pope Francis granted all Roman Catholic priests permission to celebrate the mass alone and without the procession (see Horst in Pillay 2020:273).

Pastors stayed abreast of public health guidelines, followed best practices for hygiene and exercised an abundance of caution and care in responding to this situation. This included the provision of additional supplies of hand sanitiser and facial tissues, new procedures for sharing food and fellowship and other efforts to keep church facilities clean and safe. Folding one’s arms across one’s chest and smiling or nodding can be a gracious way to avoid physical contact in greeting lines or other public encounters.

Sunday worship modification

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic many Christians stopped making the sign of the cross, a practice common among Roman Catholics as a way of invoking the blessings of God or as a declaration of Christian faith. This was done because one of the preventive measures was to avoid touching one’s face. In some churches, congregants did not stop making the sign of the cross altogether, but were advised to avoid touching their foreheads when making the sign of the cross.

Before the outbreak of COVID-19, congregants customarily shook hands with one another as a sign of peace after the celebration of Holy Communion. Also, in many churches ushers usually welcome people by means of a handshake and then carry their bags or Bibles while conducting them to their seat. During church services, pastors would ask members to welcome one another by means of a hug or a handshake as a way of ensuring a lively service atmosphere. Furthermore, pastors usually welcomed first timers with a handshake, the laying of hands and prayer; however, this was suspended following the outbreak of the pandemic (Chukwuma 2021).

The custom of pastors laying their hands on the foreheads of believers when they surrender their lives to Christ in the course of the service was also suspended. Similarly, many church leaders suspended anointing services, which are special services during which priests or pastors pray and anoint church members by applying oil to their foreheads. Anointing services are usually well attended.

Cameroon government policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic

There were no local outbreaks of COVID-19 recorded in Cameroon and the cases identified initially were persons from abroad or persons who had come in contact with them. Given that COVID-19 became a global health crisis, measures were strengthened to prevent the spread of the virus throughout the nation.

Consequently, on the instructions of the Head of State, His Excellency Paul Biya, an inter-ministerial consultation was held on Tuesday, 17 March 2020, to assess the situation and identify appropriate actions to be implemented.

At the end of this meeting, the President of the Republic gave instructions that the following 13 measures or policies were to be implemented as of Wednesday, 18 March 2020 in Cameroon:

1. Cameroon’s land, air and sea borders were closed: consequently, all passenger flights from abroad were suspended, with the exception of cargo flights and vessels transporting consumer products and essential goods and materials, whose stopover times were limited and supervised: Cameroonians who wished to return home could contact the country’s diplomatic representations abroad

2. The issuing of entry visas to Cameroon at the various airports was suspended

3. All public and private education providers, from nursery school to higher education institutions, including vocational training centres and professional schools, were closed

4. Gatherings of more than 50 persons were prohibited throughout the national territory

5. School and university competitions, such as the Federation National des Sports Scolaire et Universitaire (FENASSCO) [National Federation for College and University Sports] and university games, were postponed

6. Under the supervision of administrative authorities, bars, restaurants and entertainment spots were systematically closed from 18:00

7. A system for regulating consumer flows was set up in markets and shopping centres

8. Urban and inter-urban travel was undertaken only in cases of extreme necessity

9. Drivers of buses, taxis and motorbikes were urged to avoid overloading: law enforcement officers ensured their compliance

10. Private health facilities, hotels and other lodging facilities, vehicles and specific equipment necessary for the implementation of the COVID-19 pandemic response plan in Cameroon could be requisitioned as required, by competent authorities

11. Public administrations gave preference to electronic communications and digital tools for meetings likely to bring together more than 10 people

12. Missions abroad involving members of government and public and para-public sector employees were suspended

13. The public was urged to strictly observe the hygiene measures recommended by the WHO, including regular hand-washing with soap, avoiding close contact such as shaking hands or hugging, and covering the mouth when sneezing. (Republic of Cameroon 2020)

Cameroonian authorities were worried about worshippers belonging to Pentecostal churches in the country being encouraged to flout social distancing measures. They feared that these houses of worship would become locations for super spreader events at a time when the country was struggling with a second wave of infections.

Insights from selected Pentecostal churches in Cameroon

Discussion of findings from the data from the BONAVADA area

Churches informed their members of the preventive measures to be taken against COVID-19. This was very important, because the members of a number of churches lacked access to modern sources of information. During both Sunday and weekly meetings, church leaders informed their members of basic preventive strategies such as maintaining social distancing, avoiding shaking hands and practising regular hand-washing, to be observed both at home, in church and in other public places. The pastor closed every service with the words, ‘Stay safe; COVID-19 is real’. In some churches in both Cameroon and Nigeria handbills setting out the basic preventive measures against COVID-19 were distributed. Banners were also mounted at strategic positions in the church compound.

Information was also disseminated via various social media platforms such as Telegram and WhatsApp. Observing social distancing during weekly activities was not particularly difficult, because weekly activities at the churches in the BONAVADA area did not draw a large crowd even before the outbreak of COVID-19.

Findings reveal that churches with a very large number of worshippers, such as the District II FGM Area church in Molyko, Buea in Cameroon, were able to observe social distancing by increasing the number of services held on Sunday, with each service lasting an hour and a half rather than the customary 3 h.

Holy communion

Findings reveal that communion services were temporarily suspended at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in some Pentecostal churches in Cameroon. In others, elders wore their masks and disinfected the church. In some of the selected assemblies, immediately after the government suspended the lockdown, communion services resumed and the usual number of deaconesses preparing the communion table reduced. Previously only a small number of communion vessels were used, with these being cleaned for re-use for the second and third set of people. However, in response to the pandemic the church decided to buy more cups for individual use during communion services.

Social distancing

Washing points were established, equipped with buckets, soap and, in rare cases, sanitisers. Those attending services were expected to wash their hands with soap before entering the church. Whether or not this was done in the proper way is debatable, as there was no one to check. Some washed their hands, while others said they had sanitisers in their bags to use in church, and were permitted to enter the church on the strength of this. In some cases, the buckets at the washing points were no longer usable, and so the practice of hand-washing fell away. At some churches there was a bucket but hardly any water in it because of the water shortage at some churches in the BONAVADA area.

Hand-washing was not a guarantee that congregants would not contract the virus, because only a single cake of soap was made available, which everyone then touched, and there was no running water available.

Although the Pentecostal and Charismatic churches seem not to have adequately respected preventive measures in the form of hand-washing, they did suspend international crusades. The union of churches in Buea had already prepared and contributed a lot of money for a massive crusade with the Koreans, which was to take place in April 2021; however, the crusade was postponed indefinitely in light of the prohibition on the gathering of more than 50 persons at a given time and location. The only way for this crusade to take place in the near future was a call to prayer. Christians in Cameroon believed that the COVID-19 virus could be averted by prayers and trust in God. The churches in the BONAVADA area embarked on fasting and prayer for God to deliver Cameroonians from the pandemic.

Tithes and offerings

Findings reveal that tithes and offerings dropped because a large number of Christians stopped attending church services in person in response to the introduction of preventive measures. Economic activities also diminished because of the lockdown. Restaurants, beer halls and other businesses were prohibited from operating after 18:00 in Cameroon, and this took its toll on petty traders, who then lacked the money for tithes and offerings. This also affected the survival of pastors, who are wholly dependent for income on church tithes and offerings. The collection of tithes and offerings also contravened prevention measures, given that those in the finance committee touched the money, without knowing the status of those making the contribution, and in most instances without washing or sanitising their hands.

Mask wearing

In the Full Gospel Mission (FGM) main assembly in Molyko, no one was permitted to enter the assembly without a mask. However, many people entered wearing their mask under their chin, and not as prescribed by WHO. When asked why they were wearing their masks in this way, participants explained that this was to allow them to breathe and sing, and that they wore masks to stop police officers from closing their churches or arresting them. They were therefore not wearing masks out of conviction, but to adhere to preventive measures and avoid the consequences of not doing so. However, wearing a mask under the chin was as good as not putting one on at all.

Some of the Christians from the targeted churches in Cameroon also testified that they shared microphones without masking because they did not believe that COVID-19 was present in the country. They viewed COVID-19 as nothing more than a government ploy to obtain money from WHO, and therefore continued interacting with and embracing one another. One of the welcome songs that gave the signal for all Christians to rise up and greet one another in Bwiteva assembly was:

‘You are welcome to Full Gospel Koke, the solution center, the happiest church, that is the heart of the nation. Where everybody is somebody and Jesus is Lord.’ (Participant 4, Female, Deaconess)

While this was being sung, congregants abandoned social distancing measures and shook hands with and embraced fellow congregants whose status they did not know and, worse still, visitors who were attending the church for the first time. These worshippers had faith that Jesus was the healer and that COVID-19 was not their portion. The congregants of one of the churches in the BONAVADA area lived in denial of the COVID-19 pandemic to the extent that one of its members tested positive for COVID-19, yet continued coming to church and refused to quarantine at home. Of concern was the fact that this person was a member of the medical personnel, who knew the regulations and was in an excellent position to educate the church on the dangers of this dreaded disease. However, on testing positive he wore a mask to church but stopped wearing it as soon as his test was negative. Most of the members did not know he was positive and continued sharing a microphone with him. Fortunately, there were no further reports of people who tested positive for COVID in that assembly, although asymptomatic cases cannot be ruled out.

The church is made up of people from all walks of life. Unlike in developed countries, there was no fast testing kit at the entrance of churches to detect the status of members and/or visitors, and this increased the vulnerability of Christians who attended worship services. Some pastors continued to pray and lay hands on brethren while praying, even when this was in contravention of the social distancing measures. Some even prayed and blew air into the face of congregants in order for them to catch the fire. The police officers who were instructed to inspect churches limited themselves to big assemblies, while small assemblies in rural areas were left on their own without control.

Splitting of church services

Churches with large congregations split their services into three or four to comply with the social distancing policy. Others suspended Sunday school classes until further notice so as to manage the limited space in church, and asked the mothers of small children to leave them at home; however, this meant that mothers who had no one at home to look after their children were unable to attend church, which negatively affected their spiritual life and that of the children. The bigger congregations made use of areas such as balconies and garages to achieve social distancing. Worship services that previously lasted 2–3 h were shortened to an hour and a half.

Refusal by some Pentecostal Churches in Cameroon to abide by COVID-19 prevention measures on the grounds of religious beliefs and doctrines and practices

Male and female respondents differed markedly in the degree to which they adhered to prevention measures. Siewe Fodjo et al. (2021) reported adherence to preventive measures to be higher among females than males in Cameroon.

While the adherence score differed widely across the 10 regions in Cameroon, no disparity was observed in the difficulty reported in complying with the stay-at-home instructions issued by the government (Siewe Fodjo et al. 2021). Christians who refused to comply with government-prescribed measures followed their own methods to combat the COVID-19 virus, which included taking either self-made herbal remedies or remedies made available by members of the church leadership. Some Cameroonian patients are reported as having gone to Saint Paul Catholic Hospital to receive free remedies prepared by Samuel Kleda, the Archbishop of Douala, economic capital of Cameroon. It was reported that COVID-19 patients were treated at this hospital (Mbah et al. 2021). Although some hospitals claimed to have healed COVID-19 patients, some churches refuted the existence of COVID-19 in Cameroon. The churches that defied the government’s instructions regarding preventive measures continued to receive Christians into their congregations.

However, some Christians left churches that deceived them by claiming that COVID-19 did not exist. Among them was 37-year-old Annabella Tabot, who left the Tabernacles of Freedoms Ministries after being deceived in this way by her pastor (McDowell 2023). Tabot reported that the pastor asked her 60-year-old husband not to go to the hospital and instead prayed that he should be healed from evil spirits. Her husband’s health deteriorated, and he died. Other family members were protected from contamination through government measures to isolate the body of the deceased. The immediate reaction of the Cameroon government was to close the Tabernacles of Freedoms Ministries. Many of its 300 members defied government orders, and continued worshipping in front of the closed church. A number of Christians obeyed church instructions to ignore preventive measures, and became infected or died. The Association of Pentecostal Churches in Yaoundé (the capital of Cameroon) reported that at least 270 Christians left six churches that preached against the existence of COVID-19. Protus Ngala, pastor of Redemption Ministries, stated that 11 of his followers left. The pastor further reported:

‘I have gone to some of the people. I made some questionnaires and passed them over to the church [remaining members] to try to know what needs to be adjusted. I try to do all of those things to make sure that I am a better leader. I understand that I also could be defective.’ (Pastor Protus Ngala, Male, Redemption Ministries)

This pastor believed that COVID-19 did indeed exist, but thought that it could be treated through prayer and fasting. Church rejection of the preventive measures caused the government to close some churches, given that there is no separation between the church and the state in Cameroon. The Governor of the Center region of Cameroon, Naserie Paul Bea, reported that a number of Christians changed churches following a rigorous campaign he led to educate the public on the dangers of COVID-19. The governor had this to say:

‘We need to limit the activities of some of these groups. We cannot be in a state that is saying one thing and another person is preaching another thing. The [churches] are there to be a relay, not only of the government but equally to teach the people what the Bible says.’ (Pastor Protus Ngala, Male, Redemption Ministries)

It was imperative that churches that defied anti-COVID-19 measures be punished, given that from 05 March to September 2020, Cameroon reported more than 19 000 COVID-19 cases, with 415 deaths according to Johns Hopkins University data (Kindzeka 2020). The high death toll was blamed on negligence, a lack of knowledge and the failure of some churches to educate their members on the dangers of COVID-19 (Kindzeka 2020). Despite very pessimistic COVID-19 predictions for countries in sub-Saharan Africa, they were least affected by the pandemic, accounting for barely 5% of the global COVID-19 burden. A number of factors contributed to mitigating the health impacts of COVID-19 in Africa, and the role of traditional medicine, and particularly African medicinal plants, in limiting COVID-19 transmission merits further research in the African context.

Conclusion

Government policy was well placed, but the feasibility of the policy was not evident in the day-to-day context, and adherence to it was left up to conscience or morality, because there was no follow-up as to whether the churches respected the guidelines or not. Hand-washing procedures were inadequate, the practice of allowing visitors to use the microphones shared by all coordinators, choir and minister was ill-advised, and the fact that the practice of shaking hands and embracing even when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak shows that the some of the churches in the BONAVADA area did not implement proper healthcare measures.

Acknowledgements

The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.

H.N.L.-F. wrote the article and M.E.B. acted as supervisor.

Ethical approval to conduct this study was obtained from the Full Gospel Mission Church.

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and are the product of professional research. The article does not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated institution, funder, agency or that of the publisher. The authors are responsible for this article’s results, findings and content.

References