Covid-19 Protocol for ‘Qurban’ Ritual and Idul Adha Prayer Issued

A new circular from the Religious Affairs Minister stipulates that during Idul Adha prayer this year, congregants must keep a distance of at least 1 meter between one another. Physical contact must be minimized.

Kompas/AGUS SUSANTO

People perform Friday prayers under Covid-19 health protocols at Al-Azhar Mosque, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, Friday (12/6/2020). In addition to keeping a safe distance, people were also required to wear masks.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The Religious Affairs Ministry has issued a circular on the procedures for safe Idul Adha (Islamic Day of Sacrifice) prayers and sacrificial cattle slaughter during the Covid-19 pandemic. The circular is aimed as a guideline for Muslims in adhering to physical distancing and contact restrictions.

The health protocols are found in Religious Affairs Ministerial Circular No. 18/2020 on Idul Adha Prayer and Sacrificial Cattle Slaughter in the Year 1441 Hijri for Public Safety and Productivity under Covid-19. Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi emphasized that Idul Adha prayers and sacrificial cattle slaughter should adhere to all Covid-19 health protocols that the government had issued. The protocols are prepared prior to Idul Adha, which falls on 31 July this year.

In the circular that Kompas received on Wednesday (1/7/2020), the first point stipulates the designation of wide-open locations for prayer and sacrificial cattle slaughter, in order to maintain physical distance. All persons attending both rituals are required to stand apart by at least 1 meter between one another. Furthermore, the designation of prayer and cattle slaughter locations must be coordinated with local administrations to enable officers to monitor health protocol implementation.

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Next, entry and exit points at all locations must be centralized at one spot each and be made one-way. Temperature checks must also be carried out at all locations. Only those with temperatures of below 37.5 degree Celsius are allowed to go in. Wash basins and hand sanitizers with queue marks at least 1 meter apart must also be made available. The circular also requires disinfection at all prayer locations before prayer.

The circular also prohibits the distribution of donation collection boxes among prayer congregants due to Covid-19 infection spread concerns from the boxes moving between hands.

Congregants are required to wear masks and to bring their own prayer mats. Small children and the elderly are advised not to join Idul Adha prayers at mosques to protect these vulnerable communities from Covid-19.

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KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO (PRI) 05-06-2020

People perform Friday prayers at Cut Meutia Mosque, Jakarta, Friday (5/6/2020).

Sacrificial cattle slaughter

Sacrificial cattle slaughter organizing committee members are advised to wear long-sleeved shirts, gloves and masks during the slaughter. Everyone must avoid shaking hands and other physical contacts during the slaughter process. Slaughter committee members are to heed coughing and sneezing etiquettes, namely by covering one’s mouth with the inside of one’s elbow.

During the slaughter, equipment used must immediately be cleaned afterward. Fachrul also emphasized that each tool should only be used by one person. If one tool is shared between several persons, it must be disinfected between uses.

I have no comment for the circular. It is better to adhere to it.

After the slaughter, committee members are required to bathe and change clothes immediately. Clothes used during the slaughter must be washed immediately to reduce infection potential.

Muhammadiyah secretary general Abdul Mu’ti said that the circular was comprehensively to prevent Covid-19 spread. He suggested Muslims to adhere to the protocols to ensure public health.

“The government has issued a regulation for people to safeguard themselves against Covid-19 infection. I have no comment for the circular. It is better to adhere to it,” Mu’ti said.

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Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s second-largest Muslim mass organization, has also compiled similar protocols for their followers. Muslims in Covid-19 red zones are advised to pray at home with relatives, while those in green zones may pray at mosques.

Nahdlatul Ulama secretary general Helmy Faishal Zaini said that the organization supported the circular and that Muslims should adhere to it. People must prioritize health during the pandemic.

“There is a principle in Islamic jurisprudence that said ‘Dar’ul mafaasid muqaddamun alaa jalbil masholih’. This means that avoiding harm is better than chasing for merits, for the benefit of all. These health protocols are aimed to safeguard this public benefit,” he said.