Srinagar, Jun 12: No Friday prayers were offered as mosques and shrines remained deserted for the 13th successive week due to lockdown to prevent spread of COVID-19 in Kashmir valley, where shops and business establishments will reopen from Saturday under strict guidelines in Srinagar.
Meanwhile, people are hopeful that religious places will soon reopen in view of easing of lockdown norms in the valley, where eight out of 10 districts have been notified as Red Zones in view of rise in the number of COVID-19 positive cases. The disease has so far claimed 53 lives while the number of infected persons have surpassed 4500-mark.
This was the 13th successive Friday that prayers were not offered in mosques and shrines in the valley as a precautionary measure to prevent spread of COVID-19. However, prayers were offered in some mosques in interior areas, besides in small groups in the lawns of locals, though social distancing was maintained during the congregations.
All mosques and shrines, including Asaar-e-Sharief Hazratbal, which houses the Holy Relic of Prophet Muhammad, Jamia Masjid and other worship places remained closed since the lockdown was announced in March.
However, people expressed hope that with the ease in lockdown across the country, the authorities will allow reopening of mosques and shrines in the valley. “Hopefully mosques and shrines will be reopening in the valley and we will once again be able to pray there,” Nazir Ahmad Parray, a Srinagar resident, told UNI.
He said people are aware about the importance of social distancing and hopefully everyone will adhere to it once mosques and shrines are reopened for general public.
Authorities and religious organizations in March closure all mosques and shrines in J&K in view of the outbreak of COVID-19.
Even though upbeat about Ramzan, Muslims in the UT were disappointed that they missed on traditional activities like breaking the day-long fast in groups, offering special prayer (Taravi) and night long congregational prayers in mosques. No congregational Shab-e-Qadar prayers were offered in any mosque in the valley. No prayers were offered on Jamat-ul-Vida, the last Friday of the holy fasting month Ramzan, in the valley, where Eid-ul-Fitr prayers were offered by people in their respective houses.
The Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMEU), an organization of different religious bodies, headed by incarcerated Mirwaiz Moulvi Omar Farooq, had appealed to people not to hold any congregational prayers in the wake of pandemic.
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