Singapore Mosques to Remain Closed until March 26
MUIS first announced on March 13 that mosques would close for five days for cleaning after several congregants tested positive for the coronavirus following a religious gathering in Malaysia.
"Subsequent contact tracing by the Ministry of Health (MOH) revealed that the five infected individuals frequented at least 10 mosques during their infectious period," said MUIS in a statement, adding that the list of mosques was disseminated and members of the public who had attended them were advised to monitor their health.
"Even with the increased pre-emptive measures and temporary closures of our mosques, it is possible for more cases to emerge through secondary transmission, either from close contacts of the five infected individuals or from among members of the community who had visited the 10 mosques," said MUIS.
"It is not possible to identify and trace all persons in the second category as our mosques do not operate on a membership system and lacks a register of exclusive regular congregants. This means contact tracing will not be a sufficient measure to prevent onward transmission of the virus," it added.
MUIS said, after consulting with MOH, that it is of the view that the risk of a large cluster forming from the participants of the gathering in Malaysia "continues to be real".
"The religious justification to close the mosque and suspend Friday prayers, in the form of the fatwa issued by the Fatwa Committee, still applies," said MUIS.
It added that it has accepted MOH's recommendation to extend the closure for an additional nine days, "completing one incubation period to break the cycle of transmission".
Upon re-opening of the mosques, enhanced measures will be implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Among them are mandatory temperature-taking of all congregants, requiring congregants to bring their own personal prayer data-x-items such as prayer mats and telekung, as well as conducting "physical checks to identify at-risk congregants" and turning away those who are unwell, said MUIS.
A "full contact-tracing regimen" will also be instituted, it said, adding that there will also be no handshakes at the end of prayers or other physical greetings.
"Meanwhile, in meeting the community's spiritual needs, mosques will resume the azan (call to prayer), which will be adapted with a call to the community to perform prayers at home," said MUIS.
Elaborating during a press conference on Monday, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli said the azan will continue to be played five times a day, but it will contain a "modification", calling Muslims to "do their prayers at home".
"The same call to prayer that you hear on the radio at home will also be adjusted as such," he said.
Mr Masagos said this has been practiced elsewhere before in "many places around the world", but "it is the first time (Singapore) is putting this into practice".
"The Office of the Mufti will also work with mosques to produce more Islamic learning and talks via online content," it added.
"Working together with the mosques, the community can ensure that Muslim religious life can continue with the necessary adjustments. This is the best way to prevent large clusters from developing and spreading beyond the community," said MUIS.
Source: Channel News Asia
