Council calls for necessary preventive measures against COVID-19 during Timket festival

Addis Ababa, January 17, 2021 (FBC) –The Inter-religious Council of Ethiopia (ICE) has called for necessary preventive measures against COVID-19 pandemic during Timket celebration.

Timket (Epiphany) is a colourful annual religious and cultural outdoor festival. The celebration is to commemorate Christ’s baptism.

Kesis Tagay Tadele, Secretary of ICE said all people celebrating the festival need to fulfil their responsibilities to prevent the spread of the pandemic by wearing masks and using hand sanitizer often.

He further called on the faithful to avoid mass gatherings and maintain distance to reduce the chance of catching the virus and spreading it to others.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ethiopia has now reached 130, 772, with 2,029 deaths and 116,045 recoveries so far.