Social Distancing in the Context of Covid-19 in Selected Christian Denominations in Mulungushi Community of kapiri-Mposhi District

Abstract

The article examines Christian attitudes towards social distancing in the context of contagious diseases in places of worship. It is situated in the context of the imposed measures such as practicing social distancing in places of worship in selected Christian denominations in the wake of COVID-19 in the Mulungushi community of Kapiri-Mposhi District in Zambia. The article employs Kurt Lewin’s theory of change in order to examine how change was espoused on Christian churches in the face of COVID-19. The study was qualitative and used a case study design to capture the views and attitudes of adherents in selected churches towards social distancing to contagious diseases. Semi-structured interviews and Focus Group Discussions were the main methods of data collection. The article shows that Christians were fully aware of contagious diseases that call for restrictions to both the infected and affected in society and that the practice of social distancing in houses of worship was appreciated. The article concludes that the Christians in the selected churches generally had positive attitudes towards social distancing in ways which affirm the change processes postulated in the theory of change.