Nagaland church
A church in Nagaland.

The diocese of Kohima on Thursday decided to maintain status quo by not opening religious places.

Bishop of Kohima Most Rev. James Thoppil, in a release, said a decision in this regard will be taken after holding wider consultation.

He requested all concerned to keep the status quo of not opening the religious places until further information is given.

The Bishop’s statement follows Nagaland government’s decision on Wednesday to allow religious places/places of worship to open in the state.

However, the government’s decision was subject to adherence to certain conditions/provisions.

The government said only those religious place or places of worship outside the containment zones will be allowed to open and advised people above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women and children below 10 years to stay at home.

“Before we decide to open our churches for public worship, we need to make sure that we are able to adhere to the provisions and conditions stipulated about it.

“We also need to sensitise and train people to observe the provisions of the law and that we have sufficient volunteers to help in carrying then out,” Thoppil said.

Bhadra Gogoi is Northeast Now Correspondent in Nagaland. He can be reached at: [email protected]