Authorities link deceased in Ingushetia with infection during religious rites

All those who died from coronavirus infection in Ingushetia were village elders and took part in collective religious ceremonies. Crowded meetings in villages continue contrary to recommendations of authorities and theologians.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 3, it became known about the first confirmed coronavirus case in Ingushetia. On April 16, the count of infection cases reached 153; the death toll increased to four – all were over 60 years old.

The four coronavirus casualties "were haji-murids (adherents of the Sufi trend of Islam, – note of the "Caucasian Knot") and public figures, including Mufti Abdurakhman Martazanov," the "Interfax-South" quotes a source from the Ingush government as saying.

Despite the calls from authorities and theologians, "village elders took part in religious events, collective prayers and dhikrs (wakes)," said the source, adding that they all were people; therefore, their risk of catching the infection during crowded religious events was very high.

Another religious ceremony with the participation of a large number of residents was recently held in the rural settlement of Novy Redant, the "Ingushetia" newspaper has reported referring to an employee of the settlement administration.

"Violations of self-isolation regime and irresponsible behaviour are extremely inadmissible for religious leaders, since they can result in infecting a large number of people," the employee said, adding that the municipal authorities urged people to pray at home.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 17, 2020 at 09:19 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.