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Updated June 5th, 2020 at 18:40 IST

Jakarta opens mosques for the first time in three months as lockdown restrictions ease

For the first time in nearly three months, Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, reportedly opened its mosques on June 5 as the government eased lockdown measures.

Reported by: Bhavya Sukheja
Jakarta
| Image:self
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For the first time in nearly three months, Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, reportedly opened its mosques on June 5 as the government eased lockdown measures. Despite soaring coronavirus cases, churches and other houses of worship also resumed services in the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation. According to an international media outlet, Jakarta’s governor also announced an easing of restrictions and said that the shuttered offices, restaurants, shopping malls and tourist attractions can also start operations in the coming weeks. 

June 5 was the first time in months that Muslims were able to attend the Friday prayers to mark Islam’s holy day. While the mass prayer cheered several Indonesian citizens, the weekly service was, however, shorter than usual as part of efforts to lower the risk of COVID-19 infections. According to an international media outlet, the mosque-goers were also ordered to bring their own prayer mats and abide by social-distancing rules with temperature checks at the door. 

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Indonesia cancels hajj pilgrimage 

The reopening of the country comes as the authorities fear a collapse in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. While the government opened mosques, the government has, however, decided no to participate in this year’s hajj pilgrimage. Indonesian Religious Affair Minister Fachrul Razi reportedly said Saudi Arabia has not announced it will open the July hajj pilgrimage to other countries, and it is too late to prepare if it does so now. Razi also added that the “government will not send the 2020 hajj pilgrimage”. 

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Indonesia is one of the world's most populous Muslim nation and it normally sends the largest contingent to the pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest cities, Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. As per reports, It was expected to send 221,000 pilgrims this year, however, Razi said pilgrimages held during past disease outbreaks resulted in tragedies in which tens of thousands of people became victims. He also gave an example of the Thaun outbreak which occurred in 1837 and also the cholera outbreak in 1892. 

Meanwhile, according to Johns Hopkins University tally, the country currently has more than 29,000 confirmed cases and the deadly virus has claimed nearly 1,770 lives. Several researchers also believe that the true number of virus fatalities is more as the country of more than 260 million has some of the lowest testing rates in the world. 

(Image: @soniqodri/Twitter) 

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Published June 5th, 2020 at 18:40 IST

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