Mosques Becoming Major Sites of Covid-19 Transmission in Pakistan, Warns Medical Association

Pakistan’s top Islamic medical body has warned that mosques are becoming a major source of transmission for the novel coronavirus and urged people to pray at home during Ramzan, as the COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 13,105 on Sunday.

“Mosques are becoming a major source of virus transmission,” Efe news quoted PIMA President Iftikhar Burney as saying at a press conference on Saturday.

His remarks come days after Pakistan’s top doctors warned of “significant mayhem” and “fatal outcomes” if mosques continue to remain open and urged the government to review its decision to allow congregational prayers during the month of Ramzan amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Under pressure from clerics, Prime Minister Imran Khan decided to lift the ban that had been in place for weeks on collective prayers in religious places.

The opening of the religious centres has been conditional on complying with a series of security measures, such as the faithful keeping a meter of distance between each other, carrying their own prayer mats and washing at home.

However, the 20-point agreement signed by the leading clerics with President Arif Alvi on restricting access to mosques during Ramzan was not being followed completely.

Alvi has written a letter to the Imams of mosques urging them to ask worshippers above the age of 50 to pray at home. He pointed out that the point number six of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set in the agreement said that persons over the age of 50 should avoid offering prayers at the mosque.

President also visited mosques in Rawalpindi to review arrangements made by the administration of mosques to contain the spread of the virus.

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