Covid-19: Social distancing now mandatory for congregational prayers in Male' City

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has announced that beginning Monday, congregational prayers in mosques of Male' will need to be conducted with social distancing.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs released a press statement detailing the announcement on Monday, and stated that the state of Covid-19 in Male; City had worsened to the point where it was now necessary to discontinue congregational prayers. The Islamic Ministry further revealed that congregational prayers would now need to be conducted with strict social distancing across mosques in Male' City, and revealed that the decision had been made after reviewing recommendation from religious scholars and the Fatwa Majlis as well.

The Islamic Ministry noted that closing mosques would be a blow to communities, and that the present plan was to avoid such an eventuality and strengthen health and safety restrictions at congregational prayers. Last week, the Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem had called out religious scholars for challenging Health Protection Agency (HPA) guidelines while Male' City's Covid-19 outlook is presently at such a critical juncture.

In their press statement, the Islamic Ministry also announced the decision would be reversed once the Covid-19 situation in Male' City was controlled.

In their press release, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs had highlighted steps that can be taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 within mosques. This includes having the carpets removed from mosques, in addition to mopping floors after every prayer. Further, the Islamic Ministry encouraged the Male' City Council to make arrangements to allow those attending prayers to wash their hands cleanly with soap.

Further, the Islamic Ministry has also declared that congregational prayers must begin five minutes after the azan, or call to prayer, and that they must not extend beyond seven minutes in duration.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has also issued safety guidelines for those attending congregational prayers. This includes taking one's own prayer mat to the mosque, and performing ablutions at home before attending prayers, in addition to practicing social distancing while performing prayers at mosques. The Islamic Ministry has further advised all those who are elderly and at higher risk of complications from Covid-19 to observe prayers at home in light of present risks. Those attending congregational prayers have been discouraged from lingering in the mosque or interacting with others, and have been asked to avoid touching objects and using facilities within the mosque as much as possible.

Congregational prayers were discontinued for a time in the Male' area last year, as the number of Covid-19 cases in the capital had increased to a dangerous degree. At present, curfews and vehicle movement restriction orders are in effect in Male' City in order to curb the spread of the infection. 62 people have died in the Maldives from Covid-19 thus far, with 16 percent of all deaths attributed to the Covid-19 infection in Maldives having occurred within the month of February 2021.