–Medical professional urge govt to withdraw decision, say large social gathering in mosques during Ramzan will have fatal outcomes
Senior medical professionals have expressed “strong reservations” over the government’s decision to allow congregational prayers to be held in mosques and urged it to withdraw this decision in light of the surging coronavirus cases.
A letter signed by doctors from Pakistan and abroad asked urged the government to limit the prayers to 3-5 persons as it had done previously in view of the coronavirus outbreak, while thanking the government and ulema for developing a consensus over the issue.
It has warned that with mosques across the country being filled predominantly by people over the age of 50, the risk of the virus spreading is high. It said videos that surfaced in the past 48 hours had shown that more than 80 per cent of the people attending prayers in mosques were mostly in their 60s and 70s.
“Clearly this has resulted in the violation of the first and foremost principle of preventing the spread of the virus in the most vulnerable group” of elderly people, the letter stated.
“With Ramazan approaching, we would understandably expect higher number of namazis (worshippers) attending the prayers. Moreover, long Taraweeh prayers and waiting times will lead to prolonged gatherings. It is all but certain that this will cause significant mayhem, as the mosques practising social distancing will only be able to accommodate 20-25pc of the regular namazis, which will further worsen the situation,” it added.
Hospitals in Karachi have started experiencing a “significant influx of corona positive patients”, it revealed, adding, “We anticipate these numbers and resultant mortality to expand exponentially in the next few days.”
“This will undeniably result in significant pressure on our already compromised health system.”
The doctors explained that increased exposure to the virus increases the likelihood of getting infected and, as a consequence, of complications and death. The letter feared that allowing congregational prayers would lead to such fatal outcomes.
Last week, the government and ulema had reached a 20-point agreement wherein the government had given in to all demands of the clerics.
According to the 20-point agreement, there will be no carpets in mosques and Imambargahs. People will be encouraged to bring their own prayer mats; social distancing will be observed; people will be advised to refrain from discussions in mosques; mosques which have compounds will hold prayers outside rather than inside the building; elderly and sick people will not come to mosques; Taraweeh arrangements will be made only on mosque premises, not on roads; people will be encouraged to offer Taraweeh at home; mosque floors will be washed with chlorine disinfectants; prayer mats will also be disinfected with chlorine mixture; congregational rows will be formed with a six-foot distance between worshippers; committees will be formed to ensure preventive steps are followed; ablution should be performed at home; mandatory wearing masks at mosques; no handshakes or hugs will be allowed; worshippers will refrain from touching their faces; people will be encouraged to perform Aitekaf [prayers in isolation] at home; no preparations for sehri and iftar will be made in mosques; mosque administration will remain in contact with local police and cooperate with them; mosque administration and police will be asked to ensure social distancing is maintained during prayers and the government can review and change any part of its policy on mosques during Ramazan if these measures are not followed or the rise in Covid-19 cases is exponential.
