SINGAPORE: The decisions by the Islamic council and the Catholic Church to temporarily shut mosques and suspend mass were “tough, but necessary”, Singapore's Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) said in a statement on Friday (Mar 13).
On Thursday evening, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) said it would close all mosques for at least five days from Friday for cleaning, to prevent community spread through mosque activities.
Advertisement Advertisement The Catholic Church also announced that evening that it will continue to suspend mass in light of the rising number of COVID-19 infections, reversing a decision it had made a week earlier.
[h=3]READ: 'It's really sad': Some turn up to pray even as mosques closed for cleaning due to COVID-19[/h]IRO, which has members from 10 religions, said that it appreciates and supports the efforts by the various religious communities amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
The inter-faith group encourages members of religious communities to work with their leaders to make adjustments in practicing their faith during this period, and to continue to be united.
Advertisement Advertisement “This is a time for us to show solidarity as Singaporeans,” said Venerable Seck Kwang Phing, president of IRO.
“We should not panic, cause confusion or mistrust. We must pray and care for each other, regardless of religion.”
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