Wonders shall never cease. When everyone else is gripped by the coronavirus scare, someone is putting other people’s lives at stake in the name of religion. Well, resolving to spiritual intervention to fight the deadly virus isn’t a bad idea. However, some religious beliefs are just misleading, and in your right mind, you shouldn’t fall prey.

Recently, a South African prophet, Rufus Phala, allegedly asked his congregants to drink Dettol as a preventive medicine to the novel Covid-19 disease. Usually, Dettol is used as household bleach, and it’s never fit for consumption. But since Rufus had promised his church members that it won’t harm them, they went ahead to take sips of the detergent.

As we speak, at least fifty-nine of them have been confirmed dead, while four others are in critical condition after drinking the Dettol. The police are currently investigating the incident.

According to police officers, the prophet convinced his followers that the household bleach would protect them from contracting the novel coronavirus and any other diseases. Those with existing conditions were promised to be healed by the disinfectant.

It’s not the first time Rufus is doing this. Just the other day he asked his followers to drink Dettol, claiming that the disinfectant will heal their illnesses. According to Daily Sun SA, the prophet claimed that he had commanded the household bleach not to harm their bodies. It would only act as insulation to any disease, including Covid-19.

“I know Dettol is harmful, but God instructed me to use it. I was the first one to drink it,” the prophet claimed. Rufus added that he had been getting WhatsApp messages from people who said they had been healed.

While there’s so much panic all over the world concerning the deadly coronavirus, people should be careful not to fall victim to such incidences. The virus is killing people from all races and social classes, including religious leaders. So far, there’s neither a cure nor a vaccine for the disease. So, nobody should lie to you.

As we speak, at least 339000 have been infected by the virus across the globe, with more than 14000 deaths. The virus is spreading so fast and new infections are recorded daily. However, there’s still hope as more than 90000 patients have fully recovered from it.

In the meantime, stay at home and observe the necessary precautions to stop the spread.