As-Salamu-Alaikum Brothers and Sisters,
Earlier this week, the Province of Ontario announced revised details of its three-step plan to safely reopen the province. Each step will last at least 21 days. Restrictions will be further eased at each step based on vaccination and hospitalization targets being met.
Step 1 of the plan will begin on June 11th at 12:01 am which means it will be in effect for Fajr salah this Friday.
Under Step 1, indoor religious services will be increased from the current 10 person limit to 15% of the Mosque's building capacity, with 2 metre physical distancing in place. Based on our Fire Occupancy Certificate, this works out to 54 people per Salah.
Outdoor religious services including burials at cemeteries will not have a specified limit as long as the 2 metre physical distancing requirement is observed.
All our existing safety protocols will remain in place. Non-religious activity on the Mosque premises is still restricted.
For Jum'ah, the SMA has calculated that 2 Salahs of 54 people each will be sufficient to accommodate all congregants. From this Friday (June 11th) our first Salah will start at 1:45 pm and the second at 2:30 pm. Prayer spots will be marked in both the main prayer hall and the basement. Attendance is on a 'first come first served' basis. Aim to arrive a few minutes early as name recording for Covid19 contact-tracing purposes is still required and will be taken at the front door. Please do not gather to socialize before or after the Salah. You are kindly requested to follow the instructions of the SMA volunteers to keep within the provincial rules for the Mosque.
No Salah is planned for the Cobden Street Mosque.
At this point, the Province has not made any decisions on limit changes for Steps 2 and 3. We will advise as those become available.
The SMA would like to thank all in our community for your co-operation and patience with us over the past year. It has been a trying time but by the grace of Allah SWT, we are moving towards full capacity.
Jazakallah Khairun
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