05/06/2021 China (International Christian Concern) – On April 30, a church in China’s Yunnan province was shut down since the churchgoers have not been vaccinated.

In a video shared by Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness, the Bulai Christian Church in Nu Jiang region was empty during its Sunday service on May 2. The man who filmed the video said the following as he stepped into the church, “Today is Sunday, the Lord’s Day, the time where the first service starts. Yet inside the church, it was completely empty.”

A notice by the Pihexiang people’s government posted on the door, dated April 30, reads “During the pandemic, the use of religious venue is temporarily halted.”

However, the church was able to meet regularly before the notice was posted. According to a local source, the county-level government is promoting vaccination at each village every day, while using three languages to boast the goodness of the government’s policies.

The Chinese government often uses disease prevention as an excuse to violate religious freedom. While tourist spots, malls, and concerts are open to tens of thousands of people, churches are forced to close “to prevent people from gathering.”

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