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250,000 pilgrims mass in Pakistan despite coronavirus warnings
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 13, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Hundreds of thousands of
Islamic worshippers gathered in eastern Pakistan this week amid the novel
coronavirus pandemic, ignoring government warnings that such events could
propagate the disease.
Organisers late Thursday curtailed the annual Tablighi Ijtema
congregation, which had drawn people from across the country, but cited rainy
weather as the cause.
The early closure came after about 250,000 people had already congregated
in camps near Lahore since Wednesday for the five day festival.
“Most of the people have returned to their homes but still tens of
thousands of people are here. They will return today,” one of the event’s
organisers Ehsanullah, who goes by one name, told AFP on Friday.
Pakistan has only recorded 21 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and
no deaths, but officials have tested fewer than 500 potential cases in the
country of about 215 million, where health care is frequently inadequate.
Many countries are advising against large gatherings in a bid to slow the
spread of the highly communicable virus. Some nations — like France and
Italy — have banned them altogether.
The federal government has yet to enforce nationwide measures to contain a
possible outbreak, leaving provinces to act independently. Organisers of the
Tablighi Ijtema were free to ignore government advice to postpone.
“The government asked us to cancel the gathering because of the
coronavirus, but our elders and organisers decided that the gathering will
proceed as planned,” Ehsanullah said.
The movement was founded by religious scholars more than five decades ago
and focuses exclusively on preaching Islam.
It usually sees hundreds of camps and sub-camps set up on a dusty site
outside Lahore to accommodate people from across Pakistan, giving the
gathering a festival feel.
Schools in three of Pakistan’s four provinces are closed for March and
authorities are conducting basic screenings of passengers arriving by air
from overseas.
Prime Minister Imran Khan was set to meet with his national security team
later Friday to discuss the global coronavirus crisis.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1530HRS