Covid-19: Shut gurdwaras now, urges British GP

By Asia Samachar Team | BRITAIN |

A general practitioner has made an impassioned plea to all UK gurdwaras to shutdown to help in the battle against the continuous spread of Covid-19.

The message may be hitting home as some gurdwaras, including those on Hounslow and Bradford, have announced cessation of all prayer programmes.

In an audio message shared via the social media, Dr Pardeep Kaur Sandhu urged gurdwaras in the UK to stop all programmes and activities as the nation hunkers down to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“People are dropping dead like flies…the hospital is already operating at full capacity,” she said in the plea made in the Punjabi language.

Saturday (21March) was the worst yet for the UK and the rest of the world. NHS England said 53 more people had died, with two in Wales and one in Scotland, bringing the UK death toll to 233 – a rise of nearly 30% in 24 hours. A total of 5,018 people have tested positive for Covid-19, up by 1,035, reports The Guardian.

“Don’t delay closure with the excuses that the Sanggat will be coming over on Sunday or there is a wedding scheduled,” she said.

LISTEN TO DR PARDEED KAUR SANDHU HERE

Dr Sandhu, who introduced herself as lead coronavirus GP for NHS Direct at the Imperial Trust London, is also a lecturer at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and King’s College London. She is also the founder of MedEd Go, a course designed to help students to succeed in passing the CSA exam.

Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Hounslow, Gurdwara Singh Sabha Bradford and Glasglow Gurdwaras are among the gurdwaras that have announced closure of their premises to prayer and congregational programmes.

In an update on its Facebook page, Hounslow gurdwara said the move was ‘in light of the strong advise’ from the local health director and ‘recognising our responsibilies towards our communities’.

In its update, Singh Sabha London East (SSLE) yesterday said as per the gurdwara guidances, it has cancelled Sunday dastaar classes until further notice .

In another update earlier, it denied that the two East London gurdwaras under its case — both Gurdwara Singh Sabha Barking and Gurdwara Singh Sabha Seven Kings — had stopped preparing or distributing of langar.