SINGAPORE — Bookings for congregational prayers at Sultan Mosque in the Kampong Glam area — including those for Friday prayers — will be cancelled on Friday (Aug 28), the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said on Thursday.

In a Facebook post, Muis said that the mosque will be closed for “thorough disinfection” on Friday after it was informed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) that a man who tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus had previously visited the place of worship.

The visit was on Aug 18 between 2.33pm and 3pm, Muis said.

The religious authority added that the mosque will reopen on Saturday.

Muis reassured members of the public that those who had obtained slots for the Friday prayers “will be eligible for future slots” — subject to availability.

It stressed that the infected individual did not exhibit any symptoms when he visited the mosque, “and was only subsequently tested positive for Covid-19”.

Muis said that MOH has been doing contact tracing and has placed the close contacts of the man under quarantine.

“Nevertheless, congregants who had been to the mosque during that time are advised to monitor their health until at least Sept 1, and to immediately see a doctor if unwell,” Muis said.

It added that the incident is a timely reminder on the importance of the safe management measures in place at the mosque, “so that we are able to immediately take corrective action and not have to close the mosque for an extended period”.

“It also stresses the importance of Safe Entry to facilitate contact tracing in the case of infection,” Muis said.