A massive
coronavirus prayer session with tens of thousands of devotees sparked an outcry
in Bangladesh Wednesday as the South Asian nation reported its first death from
the global pandemic. Local police chief Tota Miah said some 10,000 Muslims
gathered in an open field in Raipur town in southern Bangladesh to pray “healing
verses” from the Koran to rid the country of the deadly virus. “They held the
Khatme Shifa prayers after dawn to free the country from the coronavirus,” Miah
told AFP. Organisers claimed the number of worshippers was 25,000. He said
organisers did not get permission from authorities to hold the session. Photos
of the gathering were widely shared on social media, with commenters slamming
the massive rally.
Authorities have already shut schools and asked locals to avoid large
gatherings in an effort to halt the spread of the disease. “Unbelievable how
they even have done it without notifying the police? They will be held
responsible if anything happens to the people in the region,” Abdur Rahman
wrote on Facebook. Despite the appeal from authorities to avoid crowded public
areas, many took the opportunity to head to tourism sites. Police said they had
to close two beaches, including one at Cox’s Bazar, the main resort district of
the country, and which is home to nearly one million Rohingya refugees from
Myanmar. A senior leader from the ruling Awami League, Obaidul Quader, said a
lockdown might be required to contain the virus. “If necessary, Bangladesh will
be shut down. It’ll be enforced where necessary. People must be saved first.
We’ll do everything for that,” he told reporters. The number of positive cases
in the country of 168 million people stands at 14, although some medical
experts fear not enough tests were being conducted.
Source: Vanguard Nigeria News
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