Itikaf Rituals Not to Be Held in Iranian COVID-19 High-Risk Red Cities
The governor of Tehran Province said in a meeting of the Headquarters for Fighting Coronavirus on Saturday that holding Itikaf ceremonies in red zones is prohibited due to a spike in the number of coronavirus cases.
He added that in cities and town designated as yellow and orange zones, the rituals will be organized with 20 percent of the capacity of mosques.
During the meeting, several other decisions were also made to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Iran’s Health Ministry said on Saturday that the number of people tested positive for the coronavirus in Iran over the previous 24 hours had surpassed 23,000 cases.
Of the new cases detected over the past 24 hours, 1,529 patients have been admitted to the hospital, it added.
Itikaf, in the Islamic faith, is a particularly commended pious practice consisting of a period of retreat in a mosque, for a certain number of days in accordance with the believer's own wish.
Those taking part in the spiritual ritual sit in mosques and fast and pray the almighty God during the three days of Itikaf (usually on the 13th, 14th and 15th of the lunar Hijri month of Rajab).
