Update 13 from COVID-19 Crisis Task Force
Update 13 from COVID-19 Crisis Task Force
As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum
To our Community members and attendees,
We hope you are all keeping well.
We pray that by His Mercy and Kindness you have had a fruitful month of Ramadān and are maximizing the last few nights that remain with us. May He answer all your du’ās.
A Hopeful Step
This past weekend, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that the Canadian Center for Vaccinology (CCfV) at Dalhousie University has received approval from Health Canada to conduct the country’s first clinical trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine. The Prime Minister stated that the National Research Council will collaborate with the manufacturers for production and distribution of the vaccine, if the trials are successful.
Representation of ISIJ of Toronto in Discussions around Reopening
On Saturday May 16, 2020, several of our Task Force members and Maulana Syed Saghir Hussain represented the ISIJ of Toronto at a virtual meeting discussing the ‘reopening of masjid and islamic centres’ in Canada, hosted by the Canadian Muslim COVID-19 Task Force.
Our medical experts summarized three key areas of discussion which were: safety of members, security and responsibility of guidelines for reopening, and unity to ensure that all centres coordinate a definitive decision for reopening. With multiple different centres in Canada, each with different numbers of attendees and different characteristics, there was no set conclusion at this preliminary meeting.
However, several members of the Canadian Muslim COVID-19 Task Force as well as members of our own ISIJ COVID-19 Crisis Task Force will be representing, respectively, at a Provincial Consultation on Reopening Places of Worship Meeting that will be held later this week. The Premier’s office is looking for feedback on the process and protocol that should be taken to support places of worship in reopening.
From a Medical Perspective…
The number of new cases has dropped significantly in the last two weeks and we have seen a steady state of approximately 300 new cases per day. While half of these are from long-term care homes, the numbers indicate that community transmission is still quite prevalent.
Today, the province entered Stage 1 of the three-stage approach to reopening where retail stores that have a street-front entrance were allowed to open and certain restrictions were lifted. For a full list of what you can do from Tuesday May 19, 2020 click here.In an update this afternoon, Premier Doug Ford announced that public school students will not return to school until September, 2020.
Public Health officials continue to liaise with the province and actions such as social and physical distancing and personal hygiene are still a priority to keep the number of new cases down. While restrictions are being lifted, we must still stay the course. We have gotten this far because of all of our efforts thus far.
As we approach the wonderful celebration of ‘Eid-ul-Fitr, we ask that you observe social and physical distancing guidelines when driving be and dropping off sweet treats to family and friends. We can stay united by staying apart.
Please keep our community and all of humanity at the forefront of your prayers. May we be relieved of this difficult situation soon.
With Salāms & Du’ās
ISIJ Secretariat Office
Islamic Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamaat of Toronto
905.695.9786 | [email protected]
