Morocco’s Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Al-Tawfiq announced that 287 imams have contracted the COVID-19.

However, he assured that this figure remains minimal compared to the overall number of clerics in the country, which is around 67,000.

In mid-March, Morocco shut down all mosques and shrines for a four-month period to curb the spread of the virus.

In July, the Ministry reopened 5,000 mosques with preventative measures in place. In September, it reopened 5,000 more mosques and allowed the resumption of Friday prayers at some of them.

Morocco boasts more than 50,000 mosques and only 11,700 are open amid the pandemic.

Tawfiq hoped that the health situation would improve so that all mosques can be reopened. He explained that they aren’t just places of worship, but areas for other activities, such as lectures, Quran recitals and religious guidance.

All of these activities came to a halt because of the pandemic, he remarked, hoping that they will resume in January, while adhering to preventive measures.