Kyiv Metropolis to help Kyiv authorities in their fight against coronavirus
The UOC clergy agreed with the National Police of Ukraine and the Kyiv Coordination Centre on cooperation in combating the spread of coronavirus.
To prevent the spread of coronavirus and help people in quarantine, the Kyiv Metropolis will cooperate with the National Police of Ukraine and the Coordination Centre under the Kyiv City State Administration, Archpriest Viktor Ivashchuk, the secretary of the Kyiv Eparchy, told a UOJ correspondent
“We talked to the city authorities. We will be actively involved in cooperation with the Coordination Centre, which is now established under the Kyiv City Administration. We will maximally involve our capabilities, human resources, our volunteers in providing assistance as much as possible,” Archpriest Viktor noted.
He also said that the clergy of the eparchy, together with the leadership of the National Police, developed an algorithm of actions to assist the population of the city.
“If, for example, our elderly parishioners or the people we care for do not get in touch for a long time, we will report to the police. Perhaps this person has some kind of problem, but he cannot leave the apartment,” the clergyman explained.
The secretary of the Kyiv Eparchy also added that all Kyiv churches of the UOC will distribute medical masks for free, and volunteers will deliver essential goods to elderly residents of the city at high risk of infection.
“We can also get masks for those who need it in temples for free since we have a huge deficit now. Now everything is done as much as possible so that people can get everything they need,” Archpriest Viktor emphasized. “We are trying to provide all the churches of the city of Kyiv and the eparchy with masks.”
The Kyiv Eparchy also helps to feed homeless people who due to the quarantine have lost the opportunity to warm up themselves and began raising funds for the purchase of medical costumes and masks for physicians of those hospitals which need them badly, said Archpriest Viktor.
According to him, the eparchy paid special attention to the implementation of all the precautions recommended by the state and WHO in parishes: disinfection of temple premises, medical masks, and compliance with the number of people present in churches.
“This weekend we had worship outdoors because there is no prohibition on gathering for prayer in the street, keeping a safe distance between people,” the secretary of the eparchy added.
Other UOC eparchies are also actively involved in the fight against coronavirus, for example, the Zaporizhzhia Eparchy has raised funds for the repair of breathing apparatuses, and in the Odessa Eparchy, seminary students began sewing medical masks.
