A CALL for caution went out to the public yesterday as the country marks another season of a religious ritual that involves gatherings.
National Taskforce to Combat the Coronavirus (Covid-19) senior member Dr Jameela Al Salman reiterated the need to strictly abide by safety guidelines during Ashoora, which will conclude next weekend.
The ritual, with particular significance in the Shi’ite Muslim calendar, features ma’atams (community halls) around the country with people taking part in processions at villages and in the capital.
The event mourns the death anniversary of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed, and is characterised by ceremonial processions through the streets of Manama and other villages.
It takes place throughout the first 10 days of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic lunar calendar.
“A season is upon us, for the second year, we are still in an ongoing struggle with a pandemic,” said Dr Al Salman on Twitter.
Dr Al Salman
“As we recommend for all types of gatherings, precautionary measures suggested by the medical authorities must be adhered to.
“Children aged below 12 years should not be allowed to enter ma’atams or take part in processions. Refrain from distributing food at ma’atams or elsewhere.
“Attendance is limited to one ma’atam in a residential area.
“The instructions issued by the task force are primarily for the protection and safety of everyone.
“The awareness of citizens, which we are proud to say, is the main factor that has helped us achieve our goals (in combating the spread of the virus),” added the Salmaniya Medical Complex Infectious and Internal Diseases consultant.
Citizens and residents have positively responded to Dr Al Salman’s plea on social media.
A Bahraini recalled going to ma’atam cautiously on the first day of Ashoora.
“I treated everyone (at the ma’atam) like an infected person,” he said.
“I fear a repeat of what happened to my parents and elderly in the family during Eid Al Fitr last year.
“It is true ... with this disease, even if you do not require hospitalisation, the fear of losing loved ones is something difficult.”
The GDN reported last year Bahrain witnessed an 82 per cent surge in cases amongst Bahrainis two weeks after Ashoora, which was 34pc higher than the spike witnessed after Eid Al Fitr.
According to the Health Ministry, Eid Al Fitr saw a 37pc increase in cases, and the number of cases among children and women increased after Ashoora.
Health Ministry Under-Secretary Dr Waleed Al Manea had said that public’s ‘reckless non-compliance’ with guidelines led to the surge from March to June last year.
Taskforce monitoring committee head Lieutenant Colonel Dr Manaf Al Qahtani had also reminded people that the ‘outcome of the pandemic’ rested solely on the public.
Contingency
“It depends on how we choose to act, how we choose our resolution and each decision we take is important and it affects everyone, be it good or bad,” said the BDF hospital microbiologist on his Twitter.
The medics’ call follows the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry announcing its contingency Covid-19 plans for ma’atams and processions during Ashoora, which started on August 8.
There are 618 ma’atams officially registered in Bahrain under the Jaffari Waqf (Endowment) Directorate.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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