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Pakistan not to allow unvaccinated people at mosques

Monday, 24 January 2022


The government of Pakistan has decided to allow the people, who have completed full-vaccination against Covid-19, at mosques and other places of worship.

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) of Pakistan took the decision on Saturday as the fifth wave of the pandemic, driven by the Omicron variant, continues to spread through the country, according to a report published by Dawn.

The committee undertook a detailed review of the disease's current situation in the country and agreed to implement a series of restrictions to tackle the situation.

Apart from restricting entry to vaccinated individuals, entrants will also have to wear masks and maintain a social distance of six feet along with frequent hand sanitisation.

The committee was directed to remove carpets at places of worship and minimise attendance for prayers. It further decided that Friday sermons should be brief, and doors and windows should be open to ensure ventilation, though it would be preferable to hold prayers in open spaces.

It also advised the elderly and people with co-morbidities to "preferably offer prayers at home", also recommending that ablutions be performed at home.

The curbs come a day after Pakistan recorded its highest number of daily Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic with 7,678 cases. The cases had caused the nat­ional positivity rate to jump from 11 per cent to 12.93pc on Friday.