Ban on Friday prayers in mosques continues

BOX: Restrictions in place

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* Stricter restrictions were put in place to prevent the people from going to the mosques for the Friday prayers even as the police vehicles were seen moving in the lanes, making announcements urging the residents to stay indoors

* Announcements were also heard from the local mosques telling people not to come out for the Friday prayers

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 3

The Friday congregational prayers were not held in most of the mosques and shrines in the Kashmir valley for the second consecutive week amid the Covid-19 lockdown.

Stricter restrictions were put in place to prevent the people from going to the mosques for the Friday prayers even as the police vehicles were seen moving in the lanes, making announcements urging the residents to stay indoors.

Announcements were also heard from the local mosques telling people not to come out for the Friday prayers.

While the administration had shut all main mosques and shrines last Thursday, most of the local mosques also gave the Friday prayers a miss.

“Last Friday, I could hear the azaan (call to prayer) from a few mosques but today I did not hear any. In fact, I heard an announcement from a mosque telling people to pray at their homes. I am glad that more people heeded to the call to pray at home today as compared to the last Friday. We hope and pray that we get rid of coronavirus soon so that our lives can go back to normal,” said Bashir Ahmed, a local.

Besides senior government officials, several religious heads, including Grand Mufti Nasirul Islam, had also urged the people to offer prayers at homes last Thursday.

Restrictions continue to remain in place in most parts of the Valley since March 19, a day after the first coronavirus positive case was reported in the region.