Major mosques, especially those located in cities and towns, will remain closed to the faithful, though the government has allowed places of worship to reopen from June 9.
The committees that run major juma masjids in the State, which attract a large congregation during daily prayers and Friday prayers, have decided to wait as the pandemic threat is not conducive to their reopening. Mosques in suburbs where believers are familiar to each other will be reopened on Tuesday.
The committee that runs the Palayam Muhiyudheen Mosque here decided that the masjid would remain shut till further notice because opening it in strict compliance with the government’s COVID-19 restrictions would be burdensome.
“Around 400 to 500 worshippers come to the mosque at a time and it will be difficult to take down the details of everyone. It is also not possible to restrict the number of worshippers reaching the masjid at the heart of the city,” said Hussain Madavoor, chief Imam of the Palayam Muhiyudheen Mosque.
Pattala Palli, another major juma masjid in the city, will also remain closed. “Unlike in rural areas, mosques in towns will draw more worshippers. We do not want the congregation to be a cause for the spread of COVID-19,” said P.M. Abdul Kareem, member of the managing committee of Pattala Palli here. If one person who offered prayer at the mosque was later confirmed COVID-19 positive, the entire area would be cordoned off as containment zone, he added.
The decision on reopening of mosques managed by the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulema will be taken in a couple of days. Kozhikode Khazi Jamalullaily Thangal said the decision on reopening of the mosques would be taken after discussions with religious scholars.
