Stricter enforcement of rules ‘to contain virus and help to save lives’
A BURTON mosque leader says more enforcement is required to get the message across to the residents as the town is to go into stricter Tier 2 restrictions from the weekend.
He says community leaders and councillors must get behind the police in catching pandemic rule breakers as they are the ones putting lives at risk.
He also said that everyone needs to accept responsibility of the situation and play their part in making sure the town does not end up in harsher Tier 3 restrictions.
Public Health England figures show there have now been 10,768 cases since the start of the pandemic in Staffordshire with an additional 424 cases announced as of Tuesday, October 27.
The seven-day case rate up to Saturday, October 24, revealed that Staffordshire’s infection rate was 239 per every 100,000 people living in the county – above the national average of 213 per every 100,000.
People living in Burton have been dealt a blow on being informed the entire county will go into Tier 2 as of Saturday morning after the town battled an outbreak a few weeks ago. Then Burton avoided being placed in tougher restrictions as cases slowed.
Zahid Ali, chairman of trustees for The Jamia Masjid Hanfia Ghausia, in Princess Street in the town, said: “We as a town were doing so well in the last few weeks, but now it seems all our efforts have gone to waste.
“Personally I feel more enforcement is required, local councillors and community leaders need to support the police and go to the establishments in the town and advise them on what needs to be done.
“They must put measures in to practise the government guidelines and perhaps consider setting up more testing stations.
“I think there needs to be a set rule, where if customers are not wearing masks they will not be allowed entry, there are so many people that pick and choose what shop they go to because they know if one tells them to wear a mask they will go elsewhere.
“Staff members also need to be on board and something needs to be done pretty soon, otherwise things could start getting even worse.”
Tariq Hussain, spokesman for the Central Jamia Mosque Rizvia, in
Uxbridge Street, another mosque in the town said: “I feel this move is necessary to contain the virus and help reduce numbers and ultimately save lives.
“We still have time to save more people being affected and we need to work together as a town to do this.
“Controlling the virus at this stage is vitally important and again we must emphasise the importance on following government guidelines.”