TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has asked the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to establish two fatwas on the handling of deceased COVID-19 patients as well as on the rules of prayer without wudu for medical personnel who treat COVID-19 patients.

"To anticipate going forward, I ask MUI and Islamic organizations to issue fatwas," Ma'ruf said at a press conference at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Building, Jakarta, on Monday, March 23, 2020.

More specifically, Ma'ruf requested that there be a fatwa allowing deceased COVID-19 patients to not be bathed, as there are difficulties in attending to deceased COVID-19 patients outside of hospitals due to a lack of medical personnel.

The second fatwa, Ma'ruf requested, is to allow medical personnel who wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to perform prayers without wudu and tayammum due to the medical personnel being required to use the PPE and being unable to open it for 8 hours.

According to Ma'ruf, this needs to be urgently regulated in the fatwa so that medical personnel who treat COVID-19 positive patients can perform their prayers without fear.

"Possibly, the medical personnel could not do it if they wanted to pray. As they could not perform wudu, they could not pray. I hope for a fatwa. For example, on allowing individuals to pray without wudu and tayammum," he added.

FRISKI RIANA