(Representative image)
This year Good Friday falls on April 10 and according to announcements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the national lockdown continues till April 15. The churches in Christian-dominated Mizoram in northeastern India have decided not to observe Good Friday, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ to save the world. Due to the same reason, they would not celebrate Easter Sunday, the day of resurrection of Christ as well.
Northeastern states joined the rest of India in observing 21-day national lock down since March 24-25 midnight with the conviction that the pandemic needs to be checked at this stage as things could go out of hands as India is a high density nation. Individual Christians and staff and few pastors of Mizoram churches undertook mass prayers on Saturday evening – March 28 – throughout the state to seek heavenly intervention from the deadly Coronavirus.
A spokesman of Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee, a conglomerate of 16 major churches headed by Mizoram Presbyterian Church of India,– said that special prayers were offered at around 1900 hours seeking “goodness for the people of Mizoram, India and the entire world”. The annual and mandatory procession of the Cross by the Catholics in state capital Aizawl too has been put off this year due to Covid-19, it has been announced. The prayers were generally held in small gathering and at homes, a senior citizen Kapu Lalrupui said in Aizawl.
There has been one confirmed case of coronavirus in Mizoram and he is a pastor who is undergoing treatment at the government hospital in Aizawl. The said pastor had traveled to Amsterdam.
The Presbyterian Church, the Baptist Church, the Catholic Church, the Salvation Army and the Pentecostal churches gave an appeal for mass and individual but small gathering prayers. Local citizens in Aizawl say people voluntarily donated generously for the needy at the time of major crisis triggered by the fatal virus and the lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While the central government’s all-India lockdown came into effect from March 25, the Mizoram government had imposed the partial lockdown since March 22 itself – three days prior to a nation-wide lockdown. A number of people and churches have donated to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, sources said. The state government has assured the people of uninterrupted supply of food grains and other essential commodities. All sitting 40 MLAs of the state legislature were given 5 bags of rice each as a contingency stock to help enable them to distribute the same during urgent necessity for poor people and supply shortage.
State government officials said safety measures were also arranged for the drivers of the trucks who transported essential commodities from Silchar region in Assam and across Mizoram by providing masks, sanitizer and water for cleaning hands. Arrangements for their food was also made by the state authorities. Local landlords in Aizawl and some towns such as Lunglei and Serchip have informed their tenants that they do not have to pay their rents for a month or so.
In another northeastern state of Meghalaya, over 3,000 people have been kept under surveillance but the state has not reported any confirmed case of coronavirus.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Saturday, March 28, launched the Self Declaration Covid-19 Nagaland App making it compulsory for any person who has entered the state after March 6 to register in the app.
The Health department will track the users and keep a close surveillance through the app in order to curb the community spread, it has been announced. In a tweet, Chief Minister Rio said – “In solidarity with the State Govt. in its fight for prevention and containment of COVID19, the IAS Association of Nagaland has come forward to contribute one-day salary towards the Chief Minister Relief Fund. I am grateful to the Association for their kind gesture & timely help”.
The Nagaland Wrestling Association also contributed Rs one lakh to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, he said. In Nagaland too, prayers were organised in several churches. Gorkha women and those associated with Chumukedima Nepali Baptist Church near Dimapur held a day long fasting and a special prayer last week.
