A cleaner vacuums the main prayer hall of Pusara Aman mosque at Jalan Bahar devoid of any congregants. A total of 70 mosques in Singapore remain closed during the circuit breaker. Initially planned for just two weeks from March 12, the closure was extended indefinitely to stem the spread of the coronavirus, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) announced on March 24.

Pusara Aman mosque chairman Mustapha Kamal Osman, 58, shows the storage area — converted from a classroom since the circuit breaker — of personal protective equipment and hand sanitisers. This single storey mosque at Jalan Bahar, located near the cemetery, serves Muslims who accompany burial procession.

A staff from Pusara Aman mosque takes the temperature of a visitor. New measures such as temperature checks and contract tracing are now part of the operations for this mosque which also performs the last rites for Muslims.

Once a praying area inside Pusara Aman mosque, it is now converted as a queuing area, with social distancing, for family and relatives to say their final farewell to the deceased.

Family and relatives of the deceased perform the funeral prayers inside Pusara Aman mosque at Jalan Bahar. A part of the praying space has been converted to accommodate the last rites for burial procession. Mosque staff manage the crowd, allowing a limited number of people in specific areas of this place of worship.

Aaron Tan, 44, bows in prayer inside the main prayer hall of Lorong Koo Chye Sheng Hong Temple. As places of worship were closed in early April due to the circuit breaker, Tan, who is part of the temple’s management committee, decided to run a Facebook livestream initiative so that devotees can view the main altar of the temple and pray to the tutelary deity, Cheng Huang Gong.

Two minutes prior to livestream, Aaron Tan does a few last minute checks on his broadcasting setup inside Lorong Koo Chye Sheng Hong Temple. From 10:30am till 12:30pm, devotees who can’t visit or enter the temple, are able to visit the temple’s Facebook page to view the main alter and pray.

Once the livestream begins, devotees can leave messages and emoticons, as Aaron Tan points out. A monitor screen has been installed in front of the effigy for the deity to view these messages from devotees.

Specific areas inside Lorong Koo Chye Sheng Hong Temple have been marked with red tape to ensure social distancing among devotees. These markings were installed just before the temple closed its doors on 7th April during the circuit breaker.

Taiji practitioner Wang Xiao Li, 33, performs martial arts related exercises for an online audience of over 150 on Facebook livestream. As part of an initiative to keep its devotees healthy, these exercises were conducted at an open space near Lorong Koo Chye Sheng Hong Temple in the mornings and evenings almost daily. With the circuit breaker, these activities now shifted online.

In her living room at Dover, retiree Varalackshmi Hariharan, 63, joins around 175 people in worship during an online Saturday 5pm service by St John’s-St Margaret’s church. Even though this church is just a 10 minute walk away, it remains closed as with many other places of prayer across Singapore.

Sitting on her couch in her living room, retiree Varalackshmi Hariharan prays during the intercession as the participants of the online service prays together in light of this global pandemic.

Varalackshmi Hariharan types a goodbye message in the chat group which is visible on the right panel of the livestream. Though she initially felt weird worshipping from home and she misses singing with the congregation, the chat panel helps her feel the presence of others in prayer.

Consultant Vaiyapuri Devaraja prepares for prayer in front of the altar at his home in West Coast. Though Covid-19 has prevented him from visiting Hindu temples, he feels he is able to devote more time to prayer due to working from home.

Inside the Sri Arasakesari Sivan at Sungei Kadut, consultant Vaiyapuri Devaraja prays with his mask as part of new measures for devotees when they visit places of worship, having reopened a few days after the circuit breaker.

Ustaz Mahmoud Mathlub Sidek, 45, removes his mask as the deputy director in the office of Mufti (Asatizah Recognition) prepares to record a sermon for the weekly Friday prayers. These prayers have been cancelled due to the closure of mosques since 13 March 2020 to stem the spread of Covid-19. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) has published these sermons on their new YouTube channel SalamSG TV launched a few days before the fasting month of Ramadan which has over 15,000 subscribers in June 2020.

Ustaz Mahmoud Mathlub Sidek delivers his Friday prayer sermon at a small studio inside Berita Harian, Singapore’s main Malay language broadsheet – a collaboration with the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS). Such a recording session was Ustaz Mahmoud’s first as the 45-year-old is more familiar with addressing thousands of Muslim congregants inside a mosque on a regular Friday.

This is a common sight for most Muslims during Ramadan as they use online videoconferencing tool Zoom to stay connected. Most Muslims are using this tool as an alternative to their traditional visits and gatherings during this festive period. In mid May, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) announced that there should not be Aidilfitri visits or gatherings during the circuit breaker period.

Using online videoconferencing tool Zoom, freelance family counsellor Azhanani Kamis, 47, (second from right) was able to celebrate the last night of Ramadan with relatives in her living room. Despite slight connection issues, with her family, they led the takbir – or communal prayer calls – followed by well wishes from over 18 participants to mark the start of Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Most Muslims are using this tool as an alternative to their traditional visits and gatherings during this festive period. In mid May, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) announced that there should not be Aidilfitri visits or gatherings during the circuit breaker period.