Assalaamu Alaykum,
Eleven weeks ago on March 16, 2020, the BCMA voluntarily closed its masajid and centers to contain the spread of coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. This decision was indeed very difficult and painful for us to make and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the overwhelming support and cooperation in this regard.
In Ramadan, we promised to re-open our masajid gradually provided the pandemic abate and the safety and health of our patrons to be our top priority. Alhamdulillah, last Friday, the BCMA Executive Council and the Board of Religious Services decided to re-open our masajid and centers on June 8 within the guidelines of the Ministry of Health. Please contact your local branch for details.
The following are some of the restrictions and responsibilities that shall apply to the congregants and the management:
Restrictions:
(a) Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 including fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat and painful swallowing, must isolate at home for a minimum of 10 days;
(b) Anyone under the direction of the Provincial Health Officer to self-isolate must follow those instructions;
(c) Anyone who has arrived from outside of Canada, or who is a contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case, to self-isolate for 14 days and monitor for symptoms;
(d) Unfortunately, in this phase we will not be able to accommodate persons under 16 years old and our sisters.
Congregant Responsibility:
(a) Ensure you are permitted to attend a prayer at BCMA facility by the branch management;
(b) We recommend to visit washroom and make your wudu from home before coming to pray;
(c) Facemask or covering is recommended;
(d) Bring a sanitized prayer mat;
(e) Arrive at the door 5 minutes before Iqama time;
(f) Exit the prayer hall and property within 5 minutes after the Fard salat. Please perform your Sunnah and Nawafil prayers at home;
(g) Maintain 2-meter physical distancing at all times which means there shall be no hand shaking nor hugging on BCMA property;
(h) Follow any other rules set out by the local management.
Branch Management Responsibility:
(a) Set up a process to permit a maximum of 50 persons to pray per session;
(b) Permit and supervise congregants coming for prayer;
(c) Ensure 2-meter physical distancing rule is followed both inside the building and outside on BCMA property;
(d) Provide hand sanitizers at the entrance;
(e) Disallow persons exhibiting sickness;
(f) Sanitize hard surface at least once a day;
(g) Sanitize high touch surfaces at least twice a day;
(h) Install CDC signage;
(i) Keep full records and file weekly incident reports.
The Executive Council has also empowered each local branch managements to develop rules and guidelines suited to their respective site so we would highly appreciate if you please respectfully follow them.
The BCMA shall not be liable for any person(s) who acts contrary to the guidance of the Public Health Officer that may result in any negative outcome whatsoever.
Abdullah Nasib Ali
General Secretary, BCMA
Masjid al Salaam and Education Centre, Burnaby
Al salāmu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullāh
We hope this message finds you and your family in the best of health. Please be advised that, pursuant to approval from the Executive Council and the Board of Religious Services, Masjid al Salaam will reopen for the general public on Monday, June 8, 2020 inshā’Allah. While we are excited to reopen and welcome you back to the Masjid, it is extremely important that we all follow the guidelines set forth below in order to ensure a smooth and safe reopening experience for everyone.
What we are doing to keep you safe?
Masjid al Salaam is committed to maintaining the highest level of cleanliness and sanitization practices in accordance with guidelines from the BC Centre for Disease Control. We have increased the frequency with which we clean all hard surface floors and high touch surfaces, using chemicals recommended by the BCCDC. For everyone’s safety, at this time we have limited the area of the building accessible to the public to just the main prayer areas, the ground floor lobby, and the underground parkade. We kindly ask that you follow the signage posted at the Masjid for entry and exit protocols.
What do we expect from you?
•1.For the 5 daily salāh, the Masjid will open 5 minutes before the adhān and close 5 minutes after the salāh. We ask that you be on time and not remain on the premises after the Masjid closes. For up to date information on adhān and iqāmah times, please visit our website www.bcmaburnaby.org
•2.Always maintain a distance of 6 feet from everyone around you
•3.Bring your own clean prayer mat [very important]
•4.Sanitize your hands using the sanitizer provided at the entrance and throughout the Masjid
•5.Before entering the prayer area, please provide your name and phone number on the entry log. We will only share this information with health officials if they require it for contact tracing purposes
•6.Place your clean prayer mat 6 feet apart from your neighbour as indicated by the markings on the floor of the prayer area
•7.We strongly encourage you to perform wudū prior to your arrival; we strongly discourage the use of the washrooms and wudū areas
Jumu’ah
Due to the limit imposed by the health authorities, only 50 individuals will be permitted to attend Jumu’ah salāh. You must pre-register to attend Jumu’ah. Registration will be online only at www.bcmaburnaby.org on a first come first served basis beginning at 8:00 PM on Friday until we reach capacity. We will stop accepting registrations once we have reached our limit.
Masjid doors will open 10 minutes before the adhān on Friday and will close once we have reached capacity. Security guards will admit only those individuals who have registered.
First Jumu’ah Salāh: 1:30 PM [Register here]
Second Jumu’ah Salāh: 2:45 PM [Register here]
Important Notes
•1.Children under the age of 16 are not permitted on the premises at any time
•2.At this time, we are not able to accommodate sisters for Jumu’ah salāh. Sisters are still welcome to attend any of the 5 daily salāh apart from Jumu’ah.
•3. Masjid al Salaam administration reserves the right to refuse entry to anyone exhibiting symptoms of illness or for any other reason.
•4.Failure to abide by the protocols set forth above may result in immediate removal from Masjid premises and/or a subsequent ban on attendance for an indefinite period.
•5.While pre-registration is not required to attend the 5 daily salāh, Masjid al Salaam will be required to limit access to the building once the number of attendees reaches 50.
•6Due to the quickly changing nature of the pandemic and guidelines issued by the health authorities, we encourage you to remain up to date on procedures and protocols by visiting our website www.bcmaburnaby.org/covid-19
We appreciate your cooperation during our gradual reopening. May Allah accept our worship and forgive our shortcomings. Āmīn
Daud Ismail
Secretary and Acting Chairperson
Masjid al Salaam and Education Centre
burnaby.secretary@thebcma.com
