Malaysian mosque that became the hotspot for Coronavirus spread

Who would have thought that a religious mass pilgrimage would turn this deadly? Last month, in February, Sri Petaling mosque in Kuala Lumpur held a mass pilgrimage where an ‘unaware’ 34-year-old Malaysian man was also present. The man was also a part of the pilgrimage and died of Coronavirus on Tuesday; by then, he had unknowingly transmitted the virus to hundreds present there.

As per official facts, almost two-thirds of Malaysia’s COVID-19 cases are linked to this four-day religious meeting. This golden-domed mosque had arranged tents for pilgrims, where people slept in packs. No one knew that one of them was infected with Coronavirus and was interacting with others.

This religious gathering was held at the end of February in the complex of the mosque, which is located on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. The mosque has now become the biggest source of hundreds of new COVID-19 infections across Southeast Asia.

The packed gathering was attended by people from various countries including India, Canada, Nigeria, and Australia. Nearly 16000 people attended the gathering, which also includes 1500 foreigners; Malaysia's 673 confirmed cases are linked to this religious meet. It is still not yet clear as to who brought the virus inside in the first place.

The gathering was hosted by the Islamic missionary movement Tablighi Jama'at but no one has yet responded to the development. The mosque remained closed on Tuesday and, as per reports, worshippers are under quarantine. Also, all the mosques in the country will be locked down for two weeks.

After this massive outbreak, Malaysia has decided to close its borders as well. Also, schools, universities and businesses have been shut down to control the virus outbreak.