<p class="title">Pakistan has lifted restrictions on congregational prayers at mosques, but put in place a host of safety conditions to avert the further spread of the <a href="http://www.deccanherald.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_blank">coronavirus</a> in the country, a statement said on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The South Asian nation, the second most populous Muslim country in the world, imposed the restrictions less than a month ago, allowing only three to five people at mosques for prayers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The decision to lift restrictions, taken in a meeting between Pakistani President Arif Alvi and religious leaders, comes less than a week before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in which the size of congregations typically increases.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Mosques are given permission conditional to taking due precautions," a statement following the meeting said, adding that it was mandatory for mosque visitors to wear masks.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pakistan has registered 7,638 cases of the virus and 143 deaths and health experts warn that congregations pose the biggest threat to the limited healthcare infrastructure of a country of more than 200 million people.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to the statement it was also decided worshippers would maintain a 6-foot (2-metre) distance from each other instead of the usual Muslim practice of praying shoulder-to-shoulder and that mosque administrations will disinfect premises regularly.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The government had been under pressure to reverse the congregation restrictions, and clashes between mosque attendees and police had been reported in Karachi, the country's largest city.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Earlier this week renowned clerics threatened to violate the restrictions, saying prayers were essential for Muslims and should be allowed as long as safety measures were observed.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While the government has reversed the restrictions, the statement warned that it reserved the right to review the matter if guidelines were violated.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday announced a 14-day extension to a countrywide lockdown, but eased curbs on essential industries to counter economic shocks as IMF and the World Bank gave bleak outlooks for the country's economy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Khan said in a televised briefing on Saturday that Pakistan could see a peak in the spread of the virus in mid May.</p>
<p class="title">Pakistan has lifted restrictions on congregational prayers at mosques, but put in place a host of safety conditions to avert the further spread of the <a href="http://www.deccanherald.com/tag/coronavirus" target="_blank">coronavirus</a> in the country, a statement said on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The South Asian nation, the second most populous Muslim country in the world, imposed the restrictions less than a month ago, allowing only three to five people at mosques for prayers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The decision to lift restrictions, taken in a meeting between Pakistani President Arif Alvi and religious leaders, comes less than a week before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in which the size of congregations typically increases.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Mosques are given permission conditional to taking due precautions," a statement following the meeting said, adding that it was mandatory for mosque visitors to wear masks.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pakistan has registered 7,638 cases of the virus and 143 deaths and health experts warn that congregations pose the biggest threat to the limited healthcare infrastructure of a country of more than 200 million people.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to the statement it was also decided worshippers would maintain a 6-foot (2-metre) distance from each other instead of the usual Muslim practice of praying shoulder-to-shoulder and that mosque administrations will disinfect premises regularly.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The government had been under pressure to reverse the congregation restrictions, and clashes between mosque attendees and police had been reported in Karachi, the country's largest city.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Earlier this week renowned clerics threatened to violate the restrictions, saying prayers were essential for Muslims and should be allowed as long as safety measures were observed.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While the government has reversed the restrictions, the statement warned that it reserved the right to review the matter if guidelines were violated.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday announced a 14-day extension to a countrywide lockdown, but eased curbs on essential industries to counter economic shocks as IMF and the World Bank gave bleak outlooks for the country's economy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Khan said in a televised briefing on Saturday that Pakistan could see a peak in the spread of the virus in mid May.</p>