Jama Masjid may close its doors again as staffer dies due to Covid

NEW DELHI: Delhi’s Jama Masjid may be looking to close its doors again after having reopened following the Covid-19-induced lockdown, after one of the masjid’s staffers died of the highly contagious disease on Tuesday.

The Shahi Imam has said that the decision will be taken after a consensus is reached between the management and locals of the area. The Shahi Imam has asked Muslims for their advice to decide on the crucial issue.

Significantly, the staffer who passed away due to Covid19 was 57-year-old Amanullah who was admitted at Safdarjung Hospital. He was the Shahi Imam’s secretary.

“He (Amanullah) had tested positive and was admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital on June 1, where he breathed his last yesterday,” Imam

Bukhari said. “People are giving their views through social media and other channels on closing the Jama Masjid. We may again shut it down for people and limit ‘namaz’ for a few people, in a day or two,” he said.

Amanullah was the PRO of Jama Masjid for the past 35 years and a resident of Samastipur in Bihar. “He was also diabetic and had also undergone a bypass surgery recently ,” Shahi Imam Ahmed Bukhari said. The mosque had opened on June 8 after a gap of over two months with the government allowing further relaxations as part of “Unlock-1”, the first phase of a calibrated exit from the novel coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown.

“I have also asked other smaller mosques to appeal to people to stay at home and offer ‘namaz’ instead of going to mosques for it. What is the point of visiting mosques at such a time when the spread of the coronavirus is peaking in Delhi, when we did not do so even during Ramzan and Eid due to the lockdown,” Bukhari said.