If there were a time that Ghanaians needed to pray the most, then it is this era that coronavirus (COVID-19) has entered Ghana and Bishop Charles Agyinasare has said and spiritually declared that Ghana is not a territory for the virus which has, so far, affected over 100,000 people worldwide and killed thousands.

While encouraging Christians to replace their fears of the disease with their trust in God, the founder of Perez Chapel International told the congregation at the Perez Dome, Dzorwulu, on Sunday, 15 March 2020 that: “I came to assure you that you must not have the spirit of fear; that means that if there were any time that you and I must pray, it is this time”.

“If there were any time you and I must pray, it is this time. This is not the time to stay at home. … This is the time to seek the face of the Lord”, he encouraged the church.

Ghana has, so far, confirmed six cases. The situation prompted President Nana Akufo-Addo, on Sunday night, to announce some draconian measures as part of efforts to curtail further spread.

Among them is a ban on all social gatherings including church and mosque services, funerals, political rallies and sports events. Also, all schools, from the university level downwards, have been closed until further notice.

Bishop Agyinasare said Ghanaians need to pray hard so that the situation does not get out of hand.

“In America and Europe, they can afford to stay at home. I watched President Trump as he talked two weeks ago; he was saying he has released $8.3 billion for the coronavirus pandemic in America and yesterday, he said has released$50 billion and he went on to say that if you’re feeling sick, don’t go to work, stay at home and if your company cannot pay you, your company must contact the government and the government is making available money to get you paid. They can afford to do that.

“In Ghana, we cannot afford to do that because in Ghana, government workers are less than one million; in fact, as of the last time I knew, we were about – people who pay taxes – just about 700,000. Now, if Ghana is almost 30 million people, can you imagine if they say people should stay home?

“The only people who can stay home and they will pay them are the government workers.

“So, the majority of the nation, if you own a shop and you stay in the house, by the end of one week, you can’t pay your workers anymore. For some of you, if you shut your shop for one week, it means that the shop is shut forever. For some of you, if you don’t go to the market for one week, that means that all the plantain, and all the cocoyam, and all the dawadawa you went to take, all is [waste], and, so, you and I, we can’t make ourselves like Americans; we can’t make ourselves like Europeans; you and I, we are going to pray”, the preacher said.

According to him, everybody stands to lose if things get worse.

“He’s saying: ‘Bishop, me I don’t sell food’. But you have a mechanical shop; if people are not going to town and, so, they are not bringing the vehicles, you, the mechanic, your boys in the mechanic shop, you are in trouble. If people are not going out, it means you, the mason, and your labourers, you are not going to eat.

“When we talk about what is happening and some of the things they are saying in America, if we try to implement them here, we are in trouble and that is why you and I, we have got to pray and take authority over this spirit of coronavirus and say: ‘Coronavirus, you can’t operate in this place, this is not your territory’”, he said.