Authorities, which already held tight restrictions on the freedoms of Christians, have prevented Christians further from even accessing live-streamed church services.
‘Our first and only online gathering was blocked by the government soon after it started,’ said a pastor of an unofficial house church in the south-eastern province of Jiangxi. The church had suffered police harassment before the coronavirus outbreak, and was forced to change venue at least five times.
In the eastern province of Shandong, a pastor’s online service was stopped less than 20 minutes after it started. A few days later, he unsuccessfully attempted another online platform.
