WHO Issues Ramadan Guidelines Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

As in previous years, the WHO has formulated "dietary recommendations" a few days before the start of the Ramadan month. It recommends, among other things, to drink "a lot of water between iftar and suhoor" or to "eat three dates when breaking the fast". Similarly, the organization recommends "reconciling Ramadan practices and people’s safety in this period where the covid-19 pandemic is raging".

According to the WHO, "measures to maintain physical distance, including the closure of mosques, the control of public gatherings and travel restrictions, will have direct consequences on the social and religious gatherings at the heart of Ramadan". Based on this observation, it recommends "the cancellation of social and religious gatherings".

The organization indicates that "no study has been conducted on fasting and the risk of infection by the covid-19 virus". That being said, "healthy people should be able to fast during this Ramadan as in previous years," it affirms. It also insists that people infected with covid-19 or any other disease in general "should refrain from fasting, following the exemptions provided for by religion, in consultation with their doctors".

The WHO calls on Muslims "to ensure they maintain ties with family, friends and the elderly, while maintaining physical distance. Better, "it is essential to encourage the use of communication means, particularly digital ones," concludes the organization.