COVID-19 Stigmatization: A Biblical Remedy

Abstract

In Ghana, several people who suffer from COVID-19 are inhumanely ostracized by their families and communities. In a country where 70% of the population is Christian, the situation raises a pastoral challenge for the Christian Communities: how to overcome stigmatization to reintegrate COVID-19 victims? The article searches for an answer in the Bible, through a reading of selected passages from Lev. 13-14; the book of Job and the gospel narratives. The aim is to engage the biblical text with the contemporary reality to educate the Christian communities and to give hope to Ghanaians who after suffering for COVID-19 are now stigmatized by family, friends, and society. The article ends with some recommendations to create an environment where correct information, trust in medical care and pastoral support can not only prevent the spreading of the virus but curb its social effects.