Mosques in Ontario, including the Masjid Toronto, will reopen on Friday, June 12, after almost three months of closure, offering prayers and essential services while maintaining public health guidelines.

“As of Friday, June 12, 2020, all MAC mosques will be open in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia,” the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) said in a statement.

“We are looking forward to providing the spiritual and social needs to Canadian Muslims as we move to future phases of reopening mosques and collectively overcoming the impacts of this pandemic.”

📚 Read Also: What is the Quran? A Devoted Christian Answers

Canadian Muslims, just like all Muslims throughout the world, are grappling with the cataclysmic changes on their personal as well as their religious life brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mosques, Islamic centers and religious schools have been closed since mid-March with all communal services suspended.

The decision to reopen mosques comes in accordance with the provincial guidelines and directives included in Premier Ford’s announcement on June 08, 2020.

“Safety at our centers is our first priority, as such, we are taking great care in instituting safety guidelines atour centers,” MAC statement added.

“This includes pre-registration, a staggered entry where necessary, screening sick or at-risk individuals, physically distancing congregational prayers, and keeping a consistent cleaning routine, especially within high contact areas.”

In the same context, several mosques in the US have been easing restrictions in a gradual way after weeks of lockdown, opening up their place of worship to limited numbers of worshippers and visitors.

However in the UK, Muslim leaders called for mosques to remain closed despite the government’s decision to open places of worship for “individual prayer.”