TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) has issued a formal ‘standby notice on Mosque sanitation’ addressed to mosques located across the country. This comes as formal prevention against the spread of the COVID-19 or coronavirus which has entered Indonesia following the announcement of two confirmed cases on Monday.

The notice mentioned six prevention steps that need to be followed and implemented by DMI branches. One of them calls for Muslims who show symptoms similar to the coronavirus to pray at home.

“Asking for Muslims who are experiencing fever, coughs, and illnesses such as the flu or the common cold, to pray at home until they are cured,” said the letter.

The official standby notice was signed by the Central DMI Chairman Jusuf Kalla and the Central DMI secretary-general Imam Addaruqutni and was issued on March 2, 2020.

Other notices include maintaining mosque floor sanitation from the use of disinfectants, regular cleaning of prayer equipment, and also urging congregates to bring their own prayer rug.

The DMI notice also urged mosque congregates to collectively monitor the spread of coronavirus and report to an official medical team if a person shows symptoms similar to those of the COVID-19 or coronavirus. “Especially in the mosque or musholla (smaller-sized house of prayer) environment,” said the notice.

AHMAD FAIZ