Who gives PM right to decide how long we can worship?

THE EDITOR: I have been thinking about writing this letter for a while and finally decided to do so.

I am deeply concerned about the health regulation that only allows people to worship for an hour and 30 minutes. Excuse me? And before it was only an hour.

While I understand that health protocols needed to be introduced to stop the spread of covid19, I am angry at being told how long I – and others – should worship, especially this time when prayers are needed more than ever.

We can be out of our homes for hours, we work for eight hours or more, we can go to the beach for 12 hours but worship is only 90 minutes?

Can someone show me where in the Constitution gives the Prime Minister or any other person the right to tell people how long they should worship?

Why is worship to God not seen as an essential service?

I am very concerned that people’s constitutional rights are being tampered with and that the pandemic has given governments powers that they did not have before over places of worship and even people’s private properties.

This pandemic is very stressful, exhausting and is also causing a lot of depression and anxiety for millions of people. Yes, we must do all we can to prevent the virus from spreading but why be told how long we should worship? At one point we even had to put up with places of worship being closed while bars remained open. Steups!

Was the IRO contacted on this decision before it was made?

MARISHA DARNEAUD

Gasparillo