Coronavirus: Be pious but respect restrictions, Saudi ulama says

Kingdom imposes bans in remote regions as recorded cases rise 23 per cent in last two days

A cleric calls for the prayer at an empty mosque in Riyadh. Reuter

The highest religious authority in Saudi Arabia on Sunday called on Muslims to “set an example” by observing the coronavirus containment measures set by temporal authorities worldwide.

The call by the Senior Ulama Council came as Muslims prepared to observe the holy month of Ramadan.

Saudi authorities announced 1,088 more coronavirus cases and five more deaths since Saturday, as government data continued to show wide daily spreads of the contagion in the world's top oil exporting nation.

The latest toll announced by the health ministry took the total number of people infected with the coronavirus in the kingdom to 9,362 and deaths to 97. The authorities announced 1,132 cases on Saturday.

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The Senior Ulama Council comprises a group of influential scholars appointed by the king and headed by the mufti.

The scholars said in a statement that Muslims everywhere, whether citizens or residents in any country, must set “an example” in “exercising ultimate care” by obeying coronavirus measures.

“Muslims should be an example to be emulated [and] worship while adhering to the precautionary and pre-emptive measures,” they said.

The worldwide measures, the ulama said, generally conform to Sharia principles of “circumventing harm as much as possible”.

The council repeated a call by the mufti, Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Al Sheikh, on Muslims to perform Ramadan rituals at home.

Muslims should pray the standard and extra prayers associated with Ramadan, known as Tarawih, at home if “respective authorities so recommend”.

Breaking the fast should be also done at home and not at mass gatherings such as public iftars, the religious officials said.

The traditionally social nature of Ramadan, which starts this week, will pose a major challenge to the Saudi government.

Despite efforts by the clerics to support the government’s wide-ranging measures to limit the contagion, Saudi officials said there was a significant lack of compliance.

The authorities imposed bans on movement in outlying areas of the kingdom at the weekend, in another tightening of restrictions that began five weeks ago with the sealing of major cities.

The interior ministry sealed four districts in the Al Ahsa and Jizan governorates, and said the 24-hour lockdown in these areas was indefinite.

Jizan has 22 recorded cases, and Al Ahsa 209, according to government data.

The health ministry urged business owners on Friday to help migrant workers avoid infection by supplying them with protective gear and to help them reduce their risk of exposure to the coronavirus.