THE holy month of Ramadan will be observed from Tuesday, April 13 and in a bid to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) Secretariat has indicated that key restrictions have been instituted. According to an advisory from the secretariat, mosques can be opened for the five daily prayers, but prayers and religious programmes are only allowed at 40 per cent capacity of the mosques. The masjids have been encouraged to utilise their outdoor spaces where available, so that adequate social distancing can be facilitated.
Furthermore, it was emphasised that the masjids must have sanitisers and face masks available for use by all persons attending. And, persons entering the masjid must wear masks, wash or sanitise at the entrance and stay at least four feet apart during prayer.
As an additional precaution, it was suggested that persons who attend the masjid should walk with their own prayer mats.

The task force said that pregnant women, children under the age of 11, and sick, elderly and incapacitated persons should not attend the masjids during Ramadan. Personal iftaar arrangements are permissible while maintaining the mandatory spacing, but feeding and congregational iftaars are not permitted in the masjids.
The Esha and Taraaweeh prayers should be completed by 21:30hrs, and to avoid overcrowding for the Jummah and Eid-ul-Fitr prayers, multiple prayers can be conducted at the same venue after subsequent sanitisation. Furthermore, it was noted the Imams and executive members of masjids will be responsible for enforcing the COVID-19 measures.
The secretariat noted that these guidelines were formulated after consultation with the Muslim leadership of Guyana. Importantly, it was stated that the task force will be conducting ‘COVICURB’ inspections nationwide, to ensure compliance with these guidelines.