MEMBERS of the Muslim community across Bury are being urged to celebrate safely as they mark Eid al-Adha this week amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The festival is expected to be celebrated from today until August 1.

Mosques in Bury have reopened but restrictions are in place protect worshippers ­— such as limitations on numbers of visitors permitted at one time.

However the celebrations mean more people are likely to come into contact with one another than usual.

And people of black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds are at greater risk from Covid-19, according to leading research.

Residents are therefore being asked to observe the following measures:

• Stay at home and celebrate with own household

• One other household is allowed to join you, but consider limiting the numbers who visit to avoid larger groups

• If you do go to the mosque, ensure follow their social distancing and hygiene guidance, and make sure you sign in and out

• Ensure you wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, using soap and water or a hand sanitiser before and after going to the mosque

• Keep 2m apart from people not in your household, and don’t shake hands or hug other people

Councillor Tamoor Tariq, deputy leader of Bury Council, said: “It’s been good to be able to return to the mosque for prayers and worship and I thank our local mosques for the work they have done to keep everyone safe.

“We celebrated Eid al-Fitr in the lockdown at home and now we will celebrate Eid al-Adha in a time when we must all continue to be so careful to prevent the spread of infection and a spike in cases.

“It’s particularly important because we all know that people of black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds are more likely to be badly affected by Covid.

“We must keep two metres apart and not greet each other as we normally would, with hugs and handshakes.

“These things are hard to do but they are what we must do to protect ourselves, our families and our loved ones.”