Religious organisations in Singapore have been invited to take part in a pilot exercise increasing worshipper numbers to 250 persons. Social distancing is enforced by splitting the congregation equally, into five zones of up to 50 persons per zone.
Since June 2020, daily and Friday congregational prayers have resumed progressively in phases, with safe management measures such as safe distancing, shortened worship duration, separate entrances and exits as well as use of the SafeEntry platform to aid contact tracing. Up until October 2020, Muis offered 15,525 spaces each week for Friday prayers.
As a result of the strong cooperation from the community in utilising the prayer booking system and following the safety guidelines at mosques, Muis is now able to offer more spaces for Friday congregational prayers. From 13 November 2020, Muis will pilot a trial in 10 mosques, offering increased prayer spaces. The selected mosques will begin to offer three zones of 50 persons per zone. As an added precaution, these 10 mosques will require the use of TraceTogether for congregants attending Friday prayers.
The 10 mosques will gradually increase the number of zones available in phases up to the limit of 250 persons per session by the end of the year. This pilot will test mosques' readiness to organise congregational prayers in larger numbers safely, as well as the cooperation of congregants in abiding by the current safe management measures.
Since June 2020, daily and Friday congregational prayers have resumed progressively in phases, with safe management measures such as safe distancing, shortened worship duration, separate entrances and exits as well as use of the SafeEntry platform to aid contact tracing. Up until October 2020, Muis offered 15,525 spaces each week for Friday prayers.
As a result of the strong cooperation from the community in utilising the prayer booking system and following the safety guidelines at mosques, Muis is now able to offer more spaces for Friday congregational prayers. From 13 November 2020, Muis will pilot a trial in 10 mosques, offering increased prayer spaces. The selected mosques will begin to offer three zones of 50 persons per zone. As an added precaution, these 10 mosques will require the use of TraceTogether for congregants attending Friday prayers.
The 10 mosques will gradually increase the number of zones available in phases up to the limit of 250 persons per session by the end of the year. This pilot will test mosques' readiness to organise congregational prayers in larger numbers safely, as well as the cooperation of congregants in abiding by the current safe management measures.
Registration for Friday prayers for the next two weeks at all mosques will be available via the MuslimSG smartphone app and through ourmosques.commonspaces.sg from 10 am on 10 November 2020.
Checking in to a venue with the TraceTogether app or token will be made mandatory at many venues as Singapore prepares for Phase Three of its opening after lockdown. As of 23 October 2020, worshippers can utilise the TraceTogether SafeEntry check-ins at 40 mosques. Mosque officers have been actively promoting the TraceTogether app and the TraceTogether token for mosque entry.
With higher worshipper numbers, optimising use of TraceTogether will allow for quicker contact tracing as this will help to keep our mosques and loved ones safer. For the mosque, TraceTogether also allows localisation of possible infection and allows mosques to professionally clean and disinfect the specific area where a positive case was detected. This allows for faster and safer reopening of mosque premises and reduces the time taken to reopen.
In addition, all congregants are advised to continue to adhere to current safe management measures in keeping Singapore mosques safe. This includes not attending if unwell, taking wudhu (ablution) before coming to the mosque, bringing individual prayer items (prayer mats and a shoe bag), wearing a mask, refraining from talking and physical contact with other congregants while in the mosque, as well as maintaining safe distancing and practising TraceTogether SafeEntry when entering and exiting mosques.
In order to provide opportunities for as many Muslims as possible to perform Friday prayers, Muis asks those who have made bookings and are unable to attend to cancel their booking at least an hour before the session begins. This allows others to register.
Those who are unable to obtain a slot for Friday prayers are still given the flexibility, as advised by the Office of the Mufti, to replace Friday prayers with dhuhr prayers and tune in to Friday sermons via SalamSG TV.