Karnataka government issues guidelines for mosque ahead of re-opening on June 8
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Government on Saturday issued guidelines for the mosques to follow, ahead of the Corona lockdown relaxation that will allow religious places to resume operations from June 8.
In an order issued by the Department of Minority Welfare, Haj, and Waqf, Standard Operating Procedures have been stipulated for mosques to be implemented at its premises when it resumes operation from June 8, Monday. The mosques in Corona containment zones however will not be allowed to resume operations till the zone is denotified by the authorities.
The order has also urged people above 60 years of age, pregnant women and children below 10 years to stay at home. It further asserts that simple public health measures that are to be followed to reduce the risk of COVID-19 be observed by everyone at mosques at all times.
In the guidelines set by the order, it states that congregational prayers and large gatherings will remain prohibited and people at mosques must maintain a minimum distance of two meters at all times with specific marking on the floor to be made to help people.
While the order also directs to allow staggered entry for visitors to avoid crowding, it also calls for mandatory use of face masks for everyone. It is also stressed that cough etiquette should also be followed strictly.
A trained volunteer shall also be deputed to perform thermal screening at the entry points of the mosque who shall guide people with a temperature of more than 99.5 F or with any other COVID-19 symptoms to seek medical consultation.
The availability of hand sanitizers has also been mandatory at all entry points with provision for handwashing with liquid soap and water to be arranged at the mosque. It also adds that proper crowd management shall also be arranged at parking slots outside the premises to maintain physical distancing.
The order further restricts touching of statues, idols, or holy books inside mosque premises. People shall also carry their praying mats which they shall take back with them and common prayer mats shall not be used.
It also directs the mosque authorities to frequently clean all areas with disinfectants while spitting is prohibited to everyone. The order further added that the mosque shall also advise people to install and use the Aarogya Setu App.
The notification also added that the management of the mosque shall immediately inform the authorities if they suspect any person to be infected by the virus, and added that the authorities will further decide the course of infection including deciding on the need for disinfecting the mosque premises.
The management shall also be responsible for arranging separate slots for keeping shoes/footwear for everyone. The Nikah ceremony is also prohibited from taking place in a mosque, while people are also not be allowed to perform sunnah and nawafil prayers in mosques.
The running of Maktab, Madrasa, or religious classes has also been prohibited until further instructions.
Regarding weekly Friday prayers, the order states that staggered timings for Jumma Namaz shall be held as under if necessary: 12:45 to 01:15 pm., 1:30 to 2:00 pm. The Jumma Qutba—e-Awwal, Saani, and Namaaz shall be completed within 15 minutes.
Imams are asked to restrain from longer zikr and dua to help the next jamath to offer namaz, while muazzins have been asked to open mosques only 15 minutes before the Azan and the doors be closed after the completion of Farz prayers.
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India has agreed already to drop its tariffs to nothing: President Trump
New York/Washington, May 7 (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said India has “agreed” to drop its high tariffs “to nothing”.
“I mean, India as an example, has one of the highest tariffs in the world. We’re not going to put up with that, and they’ve agreed already to drop it. They’ll drop it to nothing. They’ve already agreed. They would have never done that for anybody else but me,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump and visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke to reporters as they met in the Oval Office to discuss the US-Canada trade.
“So we’re going to put down some numbers and we’re going to say our country is open for business and they’re going to come in and they’re going to pay for the privilege of being able to shop in the United States of America. It’s very simple. It’s very simple,” he added.
In the past, Trump has called India “tariff king” and a “big abuser”.
Last month, Trump had said that negotiations with India over a bilateral trade deal are “coming along great” and he thinks “we’ll have a deal with India”.
