PARIS: France has announced that its Minister of Culture Franck Riester, who tested positive for the coronavirus, is feeling well despite his condition.
Riester is believed to have caught it from one of the five French parliamentarians to have thus far been diagnosed with the virus, having spent several days last week in the National Assembly.
The death toll in France has reached 30, and the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) has given instructions to the country’s 5 million Muslims to be followed in all Islamic places of worship.
The French government has instructed the population to regularly wash their hands with soap, not to shake hands, and to use towels for washing before prayers.
Mohammed Moussawi, head of the CFCM, spoke to Arab News and said that as of next Friday all large mosques in places such as Paris, Ivry, Argenteuil and Strasbourg which accommodate more than 1,000 people would be advised not to open for Friday prayers, and that worships should instead pray at home.
Moussawi said that in the region of l’Oise, a decision had already been taken to close all mosques and other public gathering places. Both l’Oise and Mulhouse have experienced a spread of the virus and been advised to close all mosques for the five daily prayers. There were also instructions that unwell people and the elderly should not attend mosques in those areas until further notice.
He added that despite the coronavirus, there had not been a noticeable drop in the number of people going to mosques.
“This is the reason why we insist on different imams advising the Muslim community to be cautious, to implement the necessary instructions in order to avoid the spread of the virus,” he said.
He added no decision had been taken prohibiting people, even the elderly, from going as usual to mosques.
He said with old people a great deal of education and advice was needed to make them understand that it was in their interest to pray at home. “They should stop going to the mosque now and wait,” he said.
The CFCM was created in 2003 as the link between the French government, imams, and the people running mosques in France. It was meant to take care of all problems in France relating to Muslims and their religion. It does not, however, represent the Muslim community. The CFCM takes care of such religious issues as establishing cemeteries, authorizations for building mosques, and the appointments of chaplains in prisons.
In recognition of the seriousness of the situation, the protection of French President Emmanuel Macron has been strengthened. Elysee sources confirmed that his chief of staff, Patrick Strzoda, was working remotely as a precaution because he had been in contact with a person who had tested positive for coronavirus.
