On Saturday 27th November, the Prime Minister announced new temporary measures following the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in the UK. New measures have been set out to try to tackle it, including mask-wearing becoming mandatory while in shops and on public transport in England, and PCR tests for all those coming into the UK. 

In Luton we have had 914 positives cases of Covid-19 in the latest week 16 – 22 Nov of data received. 635 registered Covid-19 related deaths since the start of the pandemic. Concerningly, over the last few weeks the majority of deaths in the Muslim community have been Covid-19 related. We send our condolences to all the families that have lost loved ones and we continue to pray for them all. 

In light of the government’s announcement to reintroduce specific measures to slow down the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 coupled with the high number of positive cases locally and the increasing Covid-19 related deaths in the Muslim community, we recommend the following: 

Face coverings

We recommend and encourage face coverings should be worn when attending public spaces such as Mosques for congregational prayers by attendees, staff, volunteers, pupils or students in year 7 or above unless they are exempt. 

Testing

All Mosques and Maktabs (out-of-school educational settings) should continue to encourage staff and students to test twice weekly using lateral flow device (LFD) tests. 

Contact tracing and isolation

The current guidance on contact tracing and isolation remains in place. In addition to these, any suspected or confirmed close contacts of the Omicron variant will be asked to isolate for 10 days regardless of vaccination status or age. You will be contacted directly and told to isolate.

If someone within the household you are residing in has tested positive, we encourage you to stay home unless you have a negative test. If you have symptoms but the lateral flow device (LFD) tests show negative, we recommend you take a PCR test and encourage you not to attend the Mosque until this comes back negative. 

We highly recommend families put in measures to reduce the risk of transmission of Covid-19 to elderly and vulnerable members of the household.  


Vaccination

All eligible staff and children aged 12 and over are encouraged to take up the offer of the vaccine, including boosters.

Vaccines are our best defence against Covid-19. They help protect young people and adults, and benefit those around them. Vaccination makes people less likely to catch the virus and less likely to pass it on. To book a vaccination, please visit: Book or manage a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination – NHS (www.nhs.uk).

Changes to the red list for international travel to England

Individuals arriving in England from red list countries must follow the red list rules.

May Allah (SWT) protect and make things easy for us all.