How Coronavirus Restrictions Adopted by Governments Affected World Religious Groups: A Review

Huang X. Sokolovskiy K. Yessetova S. Kazakova S.
August 2023 Springer

Journal of Religion and Health
2023 #62 Issue 4 2779 - 2798 pp.

The coronavirus pandemic has significantly affected the operation of the world’s faith communities. The first reaction of different confessions to the introduction of corresponding restrictive measures was quite variable—it ranged from understanding and assisting the authorities to disobedience and deliberate violation of the quarantine regime. Today, religious precepts, values, and attitudes continue to exert an enormous influence on the behavioral patterns and public perception of the imposed COVID-19-related restrictions. In light of this, the present article aimed to study the effect of COVID-19 on religious communities’ response to the pandemic progress to determine what tools of public influence can be used by secular authorities and religious leaders to counter the global viral threats. To achieve this goal, faith communities’ reactions to restrictive measures adopted by the governments in relation to religious services and gatherings were analyzed. The study findings suggest that information campaigns launched by the secular authorities to prevent COVID-19 spread cannot offset the need for collective worshipping for a long time even under the possibility of being infected. Notwithstanding the fact that most modern world countries are secular and realize the freedom of religion or belief, this study calls for further discussion on the feasibility of additional regulations for religious communities in the context of the virus’s active transmission. Along with this, it puts forward an offer for religious leaders to conduct more comprehensive explanatory work with believers concerning the pandemic issues from the perspective of religious dogmas. The research question concerns a review of academic research regarding the assessment of how secular authorities interacted with religious authorities in the context of the most common religions and churches and how much this changed the behavior of believers.

COVID-19 , Freedom of religion , Health policy , Mental health , Religion-state interaction

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Research Center for Aging Society, Gannan Normal University, Ganzhou, China
Department of General Subjects, Humanitarian and Technical Academy, Kokshetau, Kazakhstan
Center for Social and Business Studies, University of International Business, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Department of Nursing Management and Social Work, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation

Research Center for Aging Society
Department of General Subjects
Center for Social and Business Studies
Department of Nursing Management and Social Work

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