Assalamu Alaikom Dear brothers and sisters,

We hope you and your families are doing well insha’allah.

Although no new cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed, close to our region, over the last week (except for the one in Sullivan county) as of now, we need to assume that we will eventually have more cases in Tri-City region. As such, we will need to take all possible precautionary measures to avoid spread of infection in our community.

Following the recommendations of the CDC, our local infectious disease specialists and our Islamic scholars permission, 

Shura has decided NOT to perform Salat Al-jumuah this coming Friday 3/20/2020. We will provide weekly notice regarding future Jumuah prayers.

We recommend all community members stay home as much as possible and avoid going out, especially to crowded areas, to avoid acquiring the disease. Our bi-weekly classes will also be cancelled till further notice insha'allah.

This is a time that we can spend with our families, listen to Quraan, do lots of Dhikr and an opportunity for learning from reliable Islamic online resources.

As for daily prayers such as Fajr and Ishaa, we are still praying at the masjid as congregations are small and only younger people are attending. We however strongly encourage the following:

1. Only young and healthy people to attend.
2. If you have any symptoms of cold and congestion, please stay at home till you fully recover.
3. Make every effort to make Wudu (ablution) at home to avoid congestion in the bathroom area.
4. Make your stay at the masjid short and try to leave as soon as prayer is over.
5. Bring your own prayer rug as there are recent data suggesting the virus may stay alive for longer period on surfaces than thought originally.
6. Bring hand sanitizer with you if you have one and wash your hands with soap and water frequently.

We ask Allah SWT to preserve our health, cure the ill and turn this calamity into a blessing for our community and all communities around us.

MCNET