STATEMENT REGARDING OVERCOMING THE SECOND WAVE OF COVID-19
November 12, 2020 | Rabi ul Awal 26, 1442 AH
Bismillah hirRahman nirRaheem
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Abundant Peace, Blessings and Salutations upon the Prophet Muhammad (S)
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be with you
Dear Canadian Muslims, Respected Imams & Masjid Leaders,
We recognize and appreciate the sacrifices that you have all had to make during this pandemic and the due diligence that you have exercised to ensure the safety and well-being of each other. As feared, we are unfortunately well into a second wave of COVID-19 infections across the country, with Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba experiencing much higher numbers of cases than in the spring. We are already seeing this have significant impacts on our healthcare systems, which are approaching or already at capacity. This has prompted recent changes and updates to restrictions by provinces and regional health units.
While we do not know everything about COVID-19, we have learned what measures are effective and have examples before us of both countries that have successfully controlled subsequent waves, and those that have not. While Alhamdulillah there have not been any significant reports of major outbreaks at our masajid thanks to the phenomenal work by our Imams and masjid administrators, we know this is a realistic possibility given the rising levels of community transmission. As the number of cases continues to rise, especially amongst individuals aged 20-60 years old who may have none or only mild symptoms, the chances of positive cases entering the masjid and causing an outbreak significantly increases, especially given the size and number of our prayer gatherings.
We must therefore do our best to not just reduce community spread within our institutions, but also through our social interactions in our daily lives as well. We must all stay informed of and swiftly implement the latest recommendations from our local medical officers of health, as these can change on short notice, and must strive to be proactive and cautious in our approach. As a reminder, masajid in hotspot regions should be operating either in Phase A or Phase B of our reopening framework, depending on the status of COVID-19 and updated regional allowances for houses of worship. During this period, we must all continue to support our masajid, charities, NGOs, local businesses and the most vulnerable members of our society as much as we can in order to keep them afloat. Inshallah our collective actions today will save lives and allow us to overcome this second wave so that we may be able to reach better times ahead, sooner.
May Allah protect us, grant us patience and keep us all healthy. Ameen.