[ad_1]
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) warned that mosques were becoming a major source of transmission of the new coronavirus after the government ordered its reopening under pressure from clerics for Ramzan.
“Mosques are becoming a major source of virus transmission,” PIMA President Iftikhar Burney said at a press conference on Saturday.
Coronavirus block: latest updates
The doctor said that the end of the health crisis was still a long way off and that the number of infections had doubled in the last six days, reaching 12,657 cases and 265 deaths so far.
“Currently, more than 200 medical staff members, including 100 doctors, have tested positive for coronavirus,” he added.
Under pressure from powerful clerics, Prime Minister Imran Khan decided to lift the ban that had been in place for weeks on collective prayers in religious places.
School closings and most businesses stayed in place.
The opening of the religious centers has been conditional on the fulfillment of a series of security measures, such as the faithful keeping a meter of distance between themselves, carrying their own prayer mats and washing at home.
[ad_2]
“Mosques are becoming a major source of virus transmission,” PIMA President Iftikhar Burney said at a press conference on Saturday.
Coronavirus block: latest updates
The doctor said that the end of the health crisis was still a long way off and that the number of infections had doubled in the last six days, reaching 12,657 cases and 265 deaths so far.
“Currently, more than 200 medical staff members, including 100 doctors, have tested positive for coronavirus,” he added.
Under pressure from powerful clerics, Prime Minister Imran Khan decided to lift the ban that had been in place for weeks on collective prayers in religious places.
School closings and most businesses stayed in place.
The opening of the religious centers has been conditional on the fulfillment of a series of security measures, such as the faithful keeping a meter of distance between themselves, carrying their own prayer mats and washing at home.
More in
But Burney cautioned that smart locks don’t work in places like Pakistan: “We won’t be able to keep people inside their homes under a smart lock for a longer period of time.”
The doctor said that stricter measures were needed to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
So far, Sindh province has defied the government’s decision to reopen mosques and has announced that it will keep them closed during Ramzan.
PIMA is not the only healthcare organization that opposes the measure.
“There is no point in opening mosques. I ask people to pray at home and celebrate the end of the daily fast at home,” Qaiser Sajjad, secretary-general of the Pakistan Medical Association, told Efe on Friday.
