The year 2020 will be a year most would like to forget, with businesses, offices, and schools closed, and isolation and lack of socializing taking a toll on everyone.
In particular, the key anchor of faith, identity, and connection, Jamatkhanas, were off-limits to comply with local safety regulations. For the first time in our history, most Jamatkhanas across the globe had to close for several months, in an attempt to rein in the spread of the coronavirus and to keep the Jamats safe.
Ali Nathoo, Orange County Jamatkhana Property Manager, and Safety Volunteer remarks, “It is amazing how we take for granted things that we do on a regular basis without realizing until they come to a screeching halt. The sudden closure of Orange County Jamatkhana for the first time, left a huge void for me personally as it came to the forefront just how large a role Jamatkhana played in my life.”
The Council for the USA had prepared for closures and reopenings, from the earliest indication of the virus spreading rapidly across the country. While closures were difficult to endure emotionally and intellectually, re=openings required much more preparation and analysis, taking into account health conditions in the city and state, and awareness of shifting local recommendations for each Jamatkhana. While the Jamat was eager to see them reopen, they also understood that the crisis involved restrictions to access.
Says Shajahan Merchant, National Task Force Lead for the USA, “The recommendation to re-open a Jamatkhana is a considerable undertaking, in which the Task Force, chaired by Council for USA President Al-Karim Alidina, considers state and county directives. It also consults with Local Council Presidents on whether Jamatkhanas can be re-opened safely while protecting the well-being of the Jamat, and without compromising Jamati practices.”
Recalls Samina Hooda, Council for USA member responsible for Volunteer Resource Management, “We collaborated with our Safety and Security team, the Health Board, and others to develop and implement training sessions for volunteers. We had to get the people and the processes in place to ensure that when the Jamat came, they would have the best possible experience, despite the unique circumstances we face.”
Recognizing the key role played by volunteers, Samina adds, "Many hours were spent by volunteers across the country in ensuring they understood the safety procedures recommended. Morning and evening, they were present to welcome the Jamat back and to keep them safe."
Jamatkhana Reopenings
The anticipation and delight at the reopenings of some Jamatkhanas are understandable, as expressed by Chhotu Rehamani of Torrance: "Having the opportunity to attend Jamatkhana again, even during this pandemic, is a blessing. But it is heartbreaking that the entire Jamat cannot attend. Volunteers are doing a great job in keeping the areas clean and safe."
ATL SOUTH JK
Richmond’s Sharif Sherzai remarks that “The reopening of Jamatkhana has been an amazing experience for me, as a volunteer. I enjoy serving our Jamat and there has been no better time to step up and serve our Jamat and institutions….I am blessed to be part of something so amazing. We have been given the opportunity to serve and protect our Jamat.”
Adds Ali Nathoo, “Our vocabulary now includes temperature checks, social distancing, disinfecting, Covid questionnaire, sanitizing, scheduling app, and more that we had never before associated with Jamatkhana.”
Before there could be any consideration of reopening, Jamati institutions had to assess that conditions were relatively safe in the city, that local ordinances permitted houses of worship to open, and operationally these requirements could be facilitated.
The Property Matters Portfolio (PMP) was required to prepare Jamatkhana physical premises to allow for all safety and physical distancing requirements to be met. The PMP, in consultation with the National and Local leadership, developed updated Jamatkhana layouts to facilitate at least six feet of physical distancing in the Prayer Hall, and while on the premises, requiring a reorganization of furniture, the use of seating markers, banners, and posters, closure of water fountains, bathroom distancing, and more.
Shaheen Maredia, the PMP member for the Southwest, explains the detail in which each Jamatkhana reopening was planned:
“Using the developed guidelines, I worked in a small team to create the layouts for each Jamatkhana across the US. We would be given locations where the cases were low or under control and were meeting the government’s and Council’s criteria for safely reopening. We would develop plans and sometimes just a week before reopening we would have to stop due to a COVID spike and shift gears to a different site.”
Sugar Land JK
Every area of a Jamatkhana was reviewed by teams to “ensure the signage developed was easy to read and visible,” recalls Shaheen, adding that they even “examined various cleaning methods, added better air conditioning filters, repainted some locations, and much more.”
Dr. Salima Jaffer, Chair of the Aga Khan Health Board for the Southwest, mentions that her team visited several Jamatkhanas personally to review plans and ensure that all safety measures would be in place as they re-opened. These volunteers, as with all others around the country, also managed contact tracing once they became aware of infected individuals, and engaged with those who had been referred to them through the ACCESS helpline.
Our volunteers have been instrumental in monitoring the health of the Jamat during this pandemic, providing information, and arranging for reopenings as soon as health conditions permit. Despite their own hardships and concerns, they have illustrated how a community comes together in a crisis and how their selfless service, offered with a smile, is both essential and remarkable.
Success in maintaining safety measures is also due to Jamat complying with the new requirements, taking personal responsibility, and cooperating with the volunteers, illustrating an understanding of the circumstances in order to keep everyone safe. The Jamat has been advised also that individual circumstances and health should factor in their decision whether to attend Jamatkhana at this time.
As Shajahan remarks, “Jamati members have really taken to heart the need to fulfill personal responsibility by wearing a mask, maintaining distancing, using hand sanitizer upon arrival and departure, and not socializing at Jamatkhana. This combination of volunteer rigor and Jamat’s cooperation has been key to operating in this environment.”
While many Jamatkhanas are closed again due to another surge in infections, the new vaccines leave us optimistic that life will return to more normal times soon.
