Christians' attitudes towards COVID-19 isolation centers in comparison with the lepers' colonies of Jesus' days

Abstract

The loss of human lives through COVID-19 brought professionals from various disciplines together, to research how to curb its spread. COVID-19 Isolation Centers (CICs) were established to watch and treat patients. Most scholars focused on religious organisations' influence on curbing the spread of the virus and distribution of palliatives, without focusing on the importance of the CICs in reducing the infection and transmission of the virus. Investigations revealed that some infected Nigerian Christians refused to be treated in the CICs and some refused to inform church members of their treatment in CICs. The Church, therefore, becomes a potential avenue for contacting the virus. Premised on the Social Judgment Theory, this study examined Christians' attitudes towards CICs using a set of questionnaires, randomly distributed to 150 church members in the Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State. It adopts the historical-critical exegesis of Luke 5:12-14, using the literary criticism approach which places the biblical documents within their historical context and compares them to the current trends. This is a veritable instrument in affirming Jesus' stance on Isolation Centers. A survey of the CICs was carried out on Government facilities in Oyo State. Findings revealed that 35% of the respondents who tested positive for COVID-19 went to the CICs and refused to disclose their status for fear of stigmatisation. Church leaders should intensify efforts in creating awareness that infected members need to be admitted into CICs for monitoring and treatment to curb the spread of the disease.