The government has decided to allow all the mosques across the country to remain open for all devotees maintaining health guidelines and social distancing from Johr prayers today (Thursday), reports BSS.
“Considering the overall situation … the Cabinet Division has recommended allowing the Musallis (Muslim devotees) with sound health to say prayers in congregation in mosques from May 7, maintaining the directives issued by the Health Services Division and other precautionary measures,” a religious affairs ministry statement said on Wednesday.
Simultaneously, the ministry also issued a 12-point directive for stricter enforcement of the guidelines to contain the spread of the Covid-19 infection. According to the directives, the mosques should be disinfected before every prayer and have arrangements for hand washing and using hand sanitizer at the entrances.
The statement also prohibited using carpets on the floor of the mosques and urged the devotees to bring their respective prayer mats.
The devotees will be allowed to say only Faraz (compulsory) prayers in the mosques while they have been urged to come to mosques after making ablution and performing Sunnah prayers at their homes, it said.
The people should stand on the queue maintaining social distancing (intervals of three feet) while there will be one raw interval between two lines, the statement added.
Noting that the mosques would not be allowed to arrange Iftar and Sehri, the statement, however, allowed only five people to stay at every mosque for having Iftar (breaking fasting) maintaining the social distancing.
Khatibs, Imams and mosque management committees of the concerned mosques will ensure the implementation of the directives, the statement said, warning that legal actions will be taken against responsible people for violating the directives.
In view of coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, the Islamic Foundation on April 4 called for keeping limited the participation of the devotees in Jummah and five times regular prayers and also requested all to perform ‘Oju’ (ablution), ‘nafal’ and ‘sunnat’ prayers at home.