Friday prayers in mosques to resume with online booking system, limited to 50 people a session

Muslims will be able to return to most mosques on Friday (June 26) for congregational prayers, which will be limited to 50 people per session.

Mosques will provide two half-hour prayer sessions every Friday, with a half-hour interval between the two sessions to ensure safe crowd management, said the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) on Sunday.

Congregants will have to reserve prayer spaces for daily and Friday congregational prayers using an online prayer booking system developed by Muis. Without a booking, congregants will not be allowed into the mosques.

Each person will be allowed to book only one slot for Friday prayers every three weeks. This is to allow more worshippers to perform their Friday prayers, said Muis.

Meanwhile, sermons and prayers will be shortened to a maximum of 20 minutes.

When delivering the sermons, imams will have to stand at least 2m away from the first row and will be required to wear a face shield.

Congregants will also have to pray in marked designated individual spaces 1m apart.

Muis said congregants should not mingle with others and should leave the mosque immediately after the prayer session.

When entering the mosques for prayers, congregants will need to check in via SafeEntry using their NRIC numbers or FIN. They are also strongly encouraged to use the TraceTogether app, said Muis.

Enhanced safe management measures will also be in place, including requiring worshippers to have their own personal prayer items such as prayer mats, praying garments for women and sarongs for men.

They will also be required to wear masks at all times when on the mosque premises, including during prayers.

Fans will also be used at prayer halls to allow for better air circulation and reduce the possibility of aerosol transmission from the recycling of air from air-conditioning systems, said Muis.

Individuals who are unable to obtain a slot for the Friday prayers can perform the regular noon prayer, known as zuhur, in place of the Friday prayer, said the Fatwa Committee.

Seniors aged 60 years old and above, as well as children below the age of 12, are strongly discouraged from attending Friday prayers for the time being, and may instead perform the zuhur prayer in their own homes on Fridays, the committee added.

On Sunday, Muis said the 30 mosques offering social development programmes and providing zakat financial assistance will continue to support families in need during phase two of the post-circuit breaker period. In-person meetings by social development officers with clients will be arranged on an appointment basis, if necessary.

Weekend Islamic learning classes for children will continue to be conducted via home-based learning.

Religious talks and lectures will also continue to be conducted online.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.