The pandemic has made the people adjust their worship activities.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Secretary of the Directorate General of Islamic Community Guidance at the Religious Affairs Ministry, Fuad Nasar, has advised people aged over 60 to worship at home during religious holidays.

"According to the regulation, the elderly people are not recommended to participate in religious activities in places of worship," he said at a virtual discussion accessed from here on Wednesday.

Earlier, the ministry had issued Circular Letter Number 29/2021 concerning Guidelines for the Implementation of Religious Holidays Commemoration amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The circular also included several rules to curb virus transmission in places of worship.

Furthermore, the secretary said that the regulation also encourages administrators of places of worship to provide a PeduliLindungi app quick response code.

Hence, people who want to enter the places have to use the app to mitigate the transmission of COVID-19, he added.

“The pandemic has made the people adjust their worship activities. Thus, we encourage the strict implementation of health protocols in worship activities to also be conducted in other activities," Nasar remarked.

The ministry has socialized the regulation among all religious figures by deploying its religious counselors, he informed.

Awareness regarding the implementation of health protocols will be more effective if religious figures deliver it directly to the community, he added.

In addition, the ministry is also urging administrators of places of worship to install the equipment needed to examine the health of their congregation.

“Hence, we do not only issue the regulations but also facilitate the worship places by providing the equipment to handle the pandemic," the directorate general secretary added.

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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Uyu Liman
Editor: Suharto
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