As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow

As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow
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In this photo taken Friday, May 15, 2020, a follower of the Senegalese Mouride brotherhood, an order of Sufi Islam, films with his smartphone as he and others practice social distancing as they attend Muslim Friday prayers at West Africa's largest mosque the Massalikul Jinaan, in Dakar, Senegal. A growing number of mosques are reopening across West Africa even as confirmed coronavirus cases soar, as governments find it increasingly difficult to keep them closed during the holy month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow
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In this photo taken Friday, May 15, 2020, followers of the Senegalese Mouride brotherhood, an order of Sufi Islam, sanitize their hands as they arrive to attend Muslim Friday prayers at West Africa's largest mosque the Massalikul Jinaan, in Dakar, Senegal. A growing number of mosques are reopening across West Africa even as confirmed coronavirus cases soar, as governments find it increasingly difficult to keep them closed during the holy month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow
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In this photo taken Friday, May 15, 2020, a follower of the Senegalese Mouride brotherhood, an order of Sufi Islam, cries as he and others attend Muslim Friday prayers at West Africa's largest mosque the Massalikul Jinaan, in Dakar, Senegal. A growing number of mosques are reopening across West Africa even as confirmed coronavirus cases soar, as governments find it increasingly difficult to keep them closed during the holy month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow
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In this photo taken Friday, May 15, 2020, a follower of the Senegalese Mouride brotherhood, an order of Sufi Islam, prays during Muslim Friday prayers at West Africa's largest mosque the Massalikul Jinaan, in Dakar, Senegal. A growing number of mosques are reopening across West Africa even as confirmed coronavirus cases soar, as governments find it increasingly difficult to keep them closed during the holy month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow
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In this photo taken Friday, May 15, 2020, police and security guards control the entry of followers of the Senegalese Mouride brotherhood, an order of Sufi Islam, as they arrive to attend Muslim Friday prayers at West Africa's largest mosque the Massalikul Jinaan, in Dakar, Senegal. A growing number of mosques are reopening across West Africa even as confirmed coronavirus cases soar, as governments find it increasingly difficult to keep them closed during the holy month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow
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In this photo taken Friday, May 15, 2020, a follower of the Senegalese Mouride brotherhood, an order of Sufi Islam, reads the Quran during Muslim Friday prayers at West Africa's largest mosque the Massalikul Jinaan, in Dakar, Senegal. A growing number of mosques are reopening across West Africa even as confirmed coronavirus cases soar, as governments find it increasingly difficult to keep them closed during the holy month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow
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In this photo taken Friday, May 15, 2020, followers of the Senegalese Mouride brotherhood, an order of Sufi Islam, practice social distancing as they queue to attend Muslim Friday prayers at West Africa's largest mosque the Massalikul Jinaan, in Dakar, Senegal. A growing number of mosques are reopening across West Africa even as confirmed coronavirus cases soar, as governments find it increasingly difficult to keep them closed during the holy month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow
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In this photo taken Friday, May 15, 2020, a follower of the Senegalese Mouride brotherhood, an order of Sufi Islam, wears a mask during Muslim Friday prayers at West Africa's largest mosque the Massalikul Jinaan, in Dakar, Senegal. A growing number of mosques are reopening across West Africa even as confirmed coronavirus cases soar, as governments find it increasingly difficult to keep them closed during the holy month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow
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In this photo taken Friday, May 15, 2020, a follower of the Senegalese Mouride brotherhood, an order of Sufi Islam, washes his hands as he arrives to attend Muslim Friday prayers at West Africa's largest mosque the Massalikul Jinaan, in Dakar, Senegal. A growing number of mosques are reopening across West Africa even as confirmed coronavirus cases soar, as governments find it increasingly difficult to keep them closed during the holy month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow
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In this photo taken Friday, May 15, 2020, followers of the Senegalese Mouride brotherhood, an order of Sufi Islam, attend Muslim Friday prayers at West Africa's largest mosque the Massalikul Jinaan, in Dakar, Senegal. A growing number of mosques are reopening across West Africa even as confirmed coronavirus cases soar, as governments find it increasingly difficult to keep them closed during the holy month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow
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In this photo taken Friday, May 15, 2020, followers of the Senegalese Mouride brotherhood, an order of Sufi Islam, attend Muslim Friday prayers at West Africa's largest mosque the Massalikul Jinaan, in Dakar, Senegal. A growing number of mosques are reopening across West Africa even as confirmed coronavirus cases soar, as governments find it increasingly difficult to keep them closed during the holy month of Ramadan. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)
Updated 18 May 2020
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As mosques reopen in West Africa, COVID-19 fears grow

Men formed orderly lines outside the Massalikul Jinaan mosque in Dakar as they waited to receive hand sanitizer before entering while uniformed police watched on nearby. Inside, some 2,000 men set their prayer mats 1.5 meters apart while 3,000 others spread out into the courtyard of West Africa's largest mosque.

(Photo courtesy:AP)