2020-03-16_Bloomberg_Businessweek_Asia_Edition

◼ COVID-19 / US Bloom March 16, 2020

49

many congregations have now moved activities
online. Employees go online to fulfill pastoral care
and administrative duties. Bible studies, sermons,
and some group meetings have moved to platforms
such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Facebook
Live. Employees at the Hindu tem-
ple Akshardham in New Delhi have
been asked to wash their hands
six to eight times a day. The tem-
ple receives as many as 10,000 vis-
itors a day.
Juliana Lee, whose husband
and two young sons attend Our
Lady of Mount Carmel Church in
Hong Kong, says the suspension of
Sunday classes for kids and Masses
are prudent measures. “You’re
packed like sardines in a church,”
she says. “You’re sitting and kneel-
ing, holding hands, going up to take
the host, and dipping it in wine. It
doesn’t feel comfortable right now
to be in an enclosed space with lots
of worshippers.” Her sons are doing
Bible lessons sent to them by email
instead, and the family plans on
catching Mass online.
Religions have more experience
than any other institutions in the
world in dealing with epidemics
and surviving them. But the eco-
nomic cost limiting the spread of
the coronavirus in places of wor-
ship and devotion is significant.
The hajj and umrah pilgrimages
contribute an estimated $12 billion
a year—or 7%—to Saudi Arabia’s
gross domestic product. In Hong
Kong, one church in a district pop-
ular with expatriates is in dire
straits. St. Anne’s has seen a decline
in members, some of whom relo-
cated after the city was gripped by
months of protests. That, plus suspended services,
has caused a sharp fall in income from donations at
Mass, says parish priest Paulus Waris Santoso. “If
we do nothing, we’ll collapse,” he says.
Community Church Hong Kong has seen
attendance drop by more than half, says its
pastor, Steve Gaultney. The majority of dona-
tions to it come as electronic payments, and the
church is working to expand such options, and
to use technology to keep people connected. “All
churches will be impacted by the coronavirus,”
Gaultney says. �Faris Mokhtar

300%

200

100

0

Household maintenance masks

Oat milk

Hand sanitizer

Fresh-meat alternatives

Medical masks

Aerosol disinfectants

Powdered milk products

Thermometers

Bath and shower wipes

Energy beverages

First-aid kits

Dried beans

Canned meat

Rice, tuna

Black beans

Fruit snacks

Pet medicine

Pasta

Water

Supplements

Chang

week

● Foo

● Heal

Week ended Feb. 22 Week ended Feb. 29

DATA: NIELSEN