Mosques working hard to stay safe this Eid ul-Adha

This Eid ul-Adha it is more important than ever to make sure you and your family are staying safe from Coronavirus by adhering to the measures in place for the borough.

Mosques have been working hard with Rochdale Borough Council’s public health team to implement new safety measures to stop the spread of the virus.

Some of the new measures mosques have in place include; staggered prayer times, significantly reduced capacities, one way systems, washing at home, mandatory face covering, bringing your own prayer mat, bringing your own shoe bag, social distancing in the prayer hall, registering for the track and trace service and not congregating outside mosque.

 

 

To avoid any local lockdown measures, please celebrate Eid safely by:

• Wearing a face covering in public
• Keeping 2 metres apart at all times
• Not visiting another household or allowing visitors to your household
• Avoid physical contact with anyone outside of your own household, including shaking hands or hugging
• Washing your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds
• Following the new measures in place at your local mosque
• Providing your contact details to the Track and Trace system in place

Tahir Mahmood, chair of the Rochdale Council of Mosques, said: “We have all made huge sacrifices in the past few months and I know how hard it has been for you and your families. Stay alert to the measures in place for our borough this Eid so that we can protect each other and stop the spread of the virus. I hope that this time next year we will be able to celebrate as we normally do. In the meantime please stay safe and Eid Mubarak.”

 

 

Andrea Fallon, director of public health at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “I’ve visited some of the borough’s mosques and I’ve been really encouraged by the measures they have put in place and how they are going above and beyond with a lot of measures like awareness raising sessions, deep cleaning and swab testing. It’s now down to the community to play their part and observe the measures put in place for everyone’s safety.

“Let’s all work to stop the spread of this deadly virus. Please continue to keep your distance from people you don’t live with making sure you don’t hug or shake hands, wear a face covering in public and wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds.”

If you have symptoms of coronavirus you must get a test immediately and isolate at home. We are also encouraging as many people as possible to get tested as some people can carry the virus without showing symptoms. You should not invite anyone to your house, go to other houses or the mosque, and you should not prepare food for others.

Symptoms of coronavirus are:

• a new continuous cough
• a high temperature
• loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

If you have any of these symptoms then please visit your local mobile testing site or call 119.

There are two walk-through testing centres in Rochdale and Middleton town centres and one drive-through testing centre in Rochdale at the Crown Oil Arena.

Local information about coronavirus can be found at: 

• rochdale.gov.uk/coronavirus