Dhaka: Bangladesh will allow Muslims to attend prayer congregations in mosques from May 7 as the government continues to ease the lockdown restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak.

But mosques and devotees must comply with a set of safety protocols to hold congregations, the religious affairs ministry said on Wednesday.

In keeping with the hygiene rules to reduce the risk of contagion, mosques are not allowed to use common carpets for prayers while devotees are required to carry individual prayer mats from home.

Places of worship must be cleaned with disinfectants before every prayer session – five times a day. Mosque must also install hand-washing facilities equipped with soaps or provide hand sanitisers at the entrances.

Devotees must perform their ablutions at home and wash their hands with for at least 20 seconds.

Worshippers must wear masks to the mosques while maintaining a space of at least three feet between each other when they line up for the prayers.

Children, the elderly, any sick person or those engaged in treating the sick will not be allowed to participate in congregations

Meanwhile, mosque leaders are not allowed to organise Iftar gatherings or Sehri on the mosque premises in line with the social distancing rules.

Failure to comply with these guidelines will be met with legal action, the ministry warned.

Bangladesh announced a nationwide lockdown to enforce social and physical distancing norms on Mar 26 amid a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths.

The government subsequently restricted congregations at mosques to a maximum of five worshippers for the daily prayers, including the imam, muezzin and other officials, in an effort to bridle the escalating coronavirus crisis.

The Jummah prayers were limited to 10 worshippers while only 12 devotees were allowed to participate in the Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan.

https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2020/05/06/bangladesh-lifts-curbs-on-mosque-prayers-as-lockdown-eases