Pakistan’s coronavirus cases quadruple during the holy month of Ramadan — and show no signs of slowing

By Susannah George
May 21, 2020 at 2:24 p.m. EDT

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan — As Friday prayers began in the main mosque here last week, worshipers filled the front courtyard. Late arrivals squeezed into the back and into overflow areas, disregarding the tape on the stone floor showing people where to stand to maintain social distance.

It wasn’t just in Rawalpindi. Despite a rising number of coronavirus cases throughout Pakistan, officials in other major cities — Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore — described similar scenes during the holy month of Ramadan, which ends Saturday.

The large religious gatherings reflect the conflict between Pakistan’s powerful imams, who successfully lobbied the government last month to allow congregational prayers, and health officials, who warn that the country’s fragile health system could be overwhelmed if current trends continue.

“This is the house of God,” said Mullana Hafiz Muhammed Iqbal Rizvi, the imam at the Jamia Mosque in Rawalpindi. “It’s our responsibility to make sure more and more people will come here.”

The number of coronavirus cases in this country of 230 million has quadrupled in the past month, jumping from 12,000 to over 48,000. And the rate of new infections is steadily rising: The number of cases increased 30 percent in just the past week. More than 1,000 people have died.

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