"Avoid shaking hands", disposable towels in places of ablutions: the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM) asked Sunday the imams and officials of mosques in France to take measures to prevent the spread of new coronavirus. In an "urgent message" to the heads of places of worship, CFCM president Mohammed Moussaoui recalls "some simple but useful advice", among which "avoid shaking hands and favor oral and distance greetings".
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Similar measures taken in churches
He also recommends "frequently" washing his hands, as well as "removing multiple-use towels from the ablutions of mosques" to "replace them with single-use towels". Preventive measures have also been taken in the Catholic dioceses, the archbishops urging in particular to "empty the holy water fonts" in the churches.
The intensification of the coronavirus, with 100 cases confirmed since the end of January, has led the authorities to cancel "all the gatherings of more than 5,000 people in confined areas". "The collective prayers in the mosques must be considered as collective gatherings to which the instructions of the health authorities of our country must apply", explains the president of the CFCM in his press release.
URGENT MESSAGE ESPECIALLY TO IMAMS AND MOSQUE MANAGERS - https://t.co/xJPW3lV6uh
- CFCM (@CfcmOfficiel) March 1, 2020