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COVID-19: Exploring Faith Dimensions
WEEKLY HIGHLIGHT
#201
Caution Ahead of Converging Religious Celebrations

A convergence of major events for world religions - including Easter, Passover, and Ramadan - has given rise to commentary on shared norms and hopes and to a sense of anxiety, which is related both to the COVID-19 emergencies and to conflicts indirectly linked to them.
 
Saudi Arabia has set a cap of 1 million people for the hajj pilgrimage, expected to take place in July this year. Participants will have to be vaccinated and younger than 65 years old. Pilgrims coming from abroad will also have to take a PCR test before traveling. In 2020 and 2021, only 1,000 and 6,000 respectively were authorized to perform the ritual. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people attending was close to 2.5 million every year.
 
Catholic bishops in Ghana are asking their congregants to comply with health protocols, like wearing face masks indoors, throughout the Holy Week and Easter celebrations. This is despite the Ghanaian government’s decision to ease public health measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. In the country, only 16.5% of the population is fully vaccinated.
 
A Religion News Service column by Omar Suleiman, Rania Awaad, and Taimur Kouser highlighted the importance of religious beliefs and practice for Muslim communities’ resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. The piece is based on a study by the Muslim Mental Health Lab at Stanford University and the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research that surveyed nearly 9,000 Muslims worldwide. The article advocates for greater inclusion of faith in mental health programming. 
 
Global COVID-19 vaccination campaigns advance, but slowly and with substantial challenges in different regions. Religious involvement takes different forms in different places. In South Africa, for example, the COVID-19 vaccination campaign is specifically targeting vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups, such as undocumented people and those living in remote areas. The Department of Health is setting up vaccination units near religious sites where celebrations are taking place, as well as near venues hosting sporting and cultural events.
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