This year's Ramadan will be that much more special for Muslims in Canada.
·At the Islamic Society of North America, which had been the site of a vaccination clinic at points in the pandemic, CEO Fouzan Khan says being back at the mosque for prayer and congregation this year will be extra special.because of pandemic restrictions, Muslims in Canada are preparing for a return to the kind of holy month they've long cherished — one that will mean much more this year now that they can once again be together.
"We can now pray again the way we did, we can break our fast the way we did, we can be with each other the way we did … and not have to stay home and watch over an internet connection," Khan told CBC News. Congregants at ISNA are being encouraged to keep masks on amid a sixth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.The Canadian Muslim COVID-19 Task Force, which has developed a set of guidelines for a safe Ramada, says while in past years, mosque officials held registrations for individual congregants, it's focusing this year on individual measures and smaller tweaks to tradition to keep worshippers safe.
The task force is also encouraging the use of rapid tests and for anyone who might not yet have a full series of vaccines to take their third doses. Neither affects an individual's fast in any way, says Dr. Mohammad Hashim Khan, the task force's co-chair and a respirologist in Toronto. "The pandemic has affected a lot," said Fasih Syed, an organizer with the group. "Every day we are getting calls from people for groceries and we are providing them."