DAVAO CITY—The Department of Health here has issued a stern warning against likely crowd-gathering in Moro communities to celebrate the Eid’l Fit’r, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan among Filipino Muslims.
“The Department of Health reminds our Moro sisters and brothers as they celebrate Eid’l Fitr to strictly follow the minimum public health standards and local community quarantine protocols at all times,” the DOH said.
It listed six items to observe: pray and celebrate Eid at home to keep safe from Covid-19; observe physical distancing of at least 1 meter when going to places of worship or in public places, and wear face mask and face shield properly; ensure proper ventilation in the place of gathering and limit interaction to 15 minutes; wash or sanitize the hands, especially after touching frequently touched surfaces; follow health protocols implemented by the mosque and of the local government authorities; and refrain from attending gatherings if one feels any symptoms.
The DOH said, however, that those who would still attend the gatherings must “immediately isolate themselves for a minimum of 14 days and stay in a room separate from family members who did not physically attend any gathering.”
“Monitor if you will experience any of the following symptoms: fever, sore throat, colds, clogged nose, lethargy, red eyes, loss of smell and taste, diarrhea, body aches, skin rashes and headache. If you experience any of the symptoms above, contact your Barangay Health Emergency Response Team,” the DOH added.
The Eid’l Fit’r would be celebrated today, Thursday, until Friday.
The warning came after India sustained the world’s biggest infection rate immediately after holding the country’s biggest festival, the Kumbh Mela, in the whole month of April. Global health authorities blamed the gathering of not less than 100 million pilgrims and celebrants in the river-ford sites along the Ganges River in India in the week between April 12 and April 21.
The Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years at the so-called sacred tirhas, or in certain accessible sites of the Ganges River.
Last year, the gathering of Tableeghs, or Islamic missionaries, in a mosque in Kuala Lumpur in the last week of February to the early part of March, was blamed for the spike of cases in Malaysia. Some Flipino Muslims who attended the Tableegh gathering eventually fell ill upon returning to their hometowns in Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte and Maguindanao.
Image courtesy of Nonie Reyes