GUNTUR: With Ramzan festivities beginning amid the lockdown, Guntur district administration has issued a set of guidelines for people of Muslim community to follow during the festival which commenced on Saturday. The district administration has decided to allow only four members including imam, moazim and two helpers to participate in the daily prayers at mosques.
District collector I Samuel Anand Kumar on Saturday conducted a meeting with Muslim community elders. “Imam, moazim and two helpers will be issued passes by the police,’’ the collector said. The four identified persons shall stay in the mosque during the entire month of Ramzan and will not be permitted to leave the premises, he said.
The collector also instructed them to wear face masks and follow social distancing. The orders further said that if the quarantine is not possible, the nearest residents to the mosque shall be identified and they will be issued passes by the police for holding prayers.
“In such a case, the identified persons will be allowed to hold prayers only twice in a day — once in the morning and in the evening,’’ the orders said. Meanwhile, the district administration will supply dry fruits at the doorstep of Muslims in containment areas, Anand Kumar said.