By Emman Ovuakporie
The Federal Capital Territory Adminstration, FCTA has issued fresh Covid-19 guidelines restricting all religious activities by 50 percent during the Sallah celebrations.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports the guidelines include holding capacity of Eid grounds should be reduced to 50% to ensure physical/social distancing
This was the outcome of a meeting of the FCT Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) on COVID-19, chaired by the Minister of the FCT Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, which was convened on Friday, 16th of July 2021, to review the current situation of the pandemic in the FCT especially as it relates to the upcoming Sallah celebrations.
” From its deliberations, the meeting noted the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country and the FCT and the possibility of a third wave and sought for ways to curtail its spread.
Guided by the advice of the health professionals, the following guidelines are hereby issued for the upcoming Eid-El-Kabir celebrations in the FCT;
” All Eid prayers in the FCT are to be held in the open spaces at Jumaat Mosques as well as the National Eid Ground. This is based on medical advice that it is safer to hold large gatherings in open air spaces than in enclosed structures;
” All open Eid grounds should have multiple entry and exit points with hand washing and temperature checking facilities;
” Imams should ensure that sermons are short so that the entire Eid prayers do not exceed one hour;
” All parks and recreational grounds and facilities shall remain closed throughout the festive period.
“Worshippers are enjoined to adhere to all prescribed non-pharmaceutical preventive measures of facial coverings, constant hand washing and physical distancing.
