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  • Tension continues on LAC between India and China

    This is a big concern at this point, as these run close to the 255 km Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DSDBO) road, a vital link for the military.

    India is “closely monitoring the situation and taking appropriate steps” sources said a day after Army Chief General Manoj Naravane visited the Leh-based 14 Corps headquarters to review the “overall situation on the ground,” even as reports indicated that Chinese troops remain in areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh that are patrolled by India.

    “Situation remains tense at Pangong Tso, Galwan Nalah and Demchok. It is being closely monitored,” sources said, as more troops are being moved into the areas of conflict in Sikkim and Ladakh.

    In particular, sources told The Hindu that Chinese troops are maintaining positions at 3-4 points along the Galwan nalah, from “point 14 to Gogra mountain”.

    Crucial road

    This is a big concern at this point, as these run close to the 255 km Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DSDBO) road, a vital link for the military.

    According to the sources, at each of these points, the PLA has stationed troops, dug in tents and even bunkers. The situation has been escalating since initial incursions in mid-April, after Indian and Chinese soldiers exchanged blows and inflicted injuries.

    Another worry, said an officer previously posted in the area, is the fact that skirmishes took place at so many points, indicating a more coordinated push by the PLA.

    “Simultaneous incidents across the LAC in Eastern Ladakh at Pangong Tso, Galwan Nalah and Demchok, are a big worry” the officer said, on condition of anonymity.

    Planned incursion

    “Normally stand-offs happen in a local area, but are resolved at the local level,” a former Northern Army Commander, (who also asked not to be named), told The Hindu, adding that the current situation, which indicates planning at a “higher level in China” must be resolved at the diplomatic and political level.

    The Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on reports of the Chinese incursions. “Established mechanisms are used to resolve such situations,” the MEA spokesperson said, when asked whether national Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, or External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had been in contact with Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi.

    Mr. Doval and Mr. Wang, who are the designated Special Representatives of India and China, had met last on December 21, 2019, to discuss bringing an “early settlement of the boundary question” as per talks between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi on the issue.

    The situation started building up in late April and resulted in scuffles at Pangong Tso on may05/06 and at Naku La in North Sikkim on May 9 which resulted in significant injuries due to “aggressive behaviour on both sides”. Chinese troops moved in in large numbers with vehicles and equipment objecting to road construction by India and have also pitched tents, sources said. The Army has declined to comment despite repeated requests.

    Chinese troops are close to Finger 2 area of Pangong Tso area and are blocking our movement forward, two sources said. The Pangong Tso is 135 km long and 5-7 km in width of which about one-third is held by India while the rest is held by China. The mountain folds are referred to as ‘Fingers’ of which India claims upto ‘Finger 8’ but holds till ‘Finger 4.’ The lake has been an area of frequent standoffs and after the scuffle on May 5, both sides moved in additional troops and are entrenched there.

    Over the last decade, India has significantly augmented its infrastructure and deployments in Ladakh. For instance, in a major operational change, since 2012 the Army began deploying units on longer tenures along the LAC which prior to that were on six month short tenures before heading to or returning from the Siachen Glacier called loop battalions. This has meant availability of more acclimatized troops and also more patrols in the claim areas resulting in more face-offs.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Shawwal Moon Sighted, Eid accross Pakistan will be celebrated Tomorrow

    Representational Picture

    The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee has announced that the Shawwal moon has been sighted, therefore, Eid in Pakistan will be observed tomorrow (Sunday).

    The committee’s session to sight the Shawwal moon was held in Karachi with Mufti Muneeb ur Rehman in the chair.

    Meetings of the zonal committees took place at their respective provincial headquarters. The Pakistan Meteorological Department experts were also a part of the session.

    Referring to science minister Fawad Chaudhry — who had already predicted Eid in Pakistan on Sunday — the mufti said that the minister “has no real authority” to decide over such matters.

    Taking exception to his announcement in advance, Mufti Muneeb said that the minister “should not interfere in religious matters”.

    “We demand that the prime minister prevent him from interfering in religious matters,” he said.

    “We condemn his interference,” said Mufti Muneeb, to chants of approval and endorsement in the background.

    He denied that there was any “government pressure” to make the announcement.

    ‘Central committee to make final decision’

    Earlier, in Quetta, the province’s zonal committee announced that it has received a few testimonies from Pasni and Ormara. “We have informed the Central committee of this,” said Qari Abdul Rasheed.

    The zonal committee said the final decision will be made by the Central committee.

    Mufti Muneeb, addressing the media, had said that “when the final decision will be made, it will be announced before the media”. He said it was “not appropriate” to speculate at this time.

    Religious affairs minister Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, in a conversation with Geo News, said that the committee will be the one to make the final decision about the observance of Eid.

    “The matter is a religious one, which needs religious expertise,” he said.

    He said input from science “will never be turned away and can be used” but it is “unacceptable” to declare the moon sighted in advance without  eyewitness testimony.

    Qibla Ayaz of the Islamic Council of Ideology said that if Badin and other cities of Sindh provide testimony, there will be greater chances that Eid will be held tomorrow. He said that word from these cities is being awaited.

    Speaking of technology, he said that ulema do not oppose science but “the tradition of Ruet must be kept alive”.

    Eid in other parts of the world

    India has declared it will celebrate Eid on Monday.

    Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Sunday as the moon was not sighted on Friday.

    The Jeddah-based Okaz paper reported that the moon-sighting committee had said that Saturday, May 23, would be the last day of Ramadan, while Sunday, May 24, would be the first day of Eid — Shawwal 1, 1441.

    The UAE will also celebrate Eid on Sunday as the moon-sighting committee set up by the justice ministry announced that the moon was not sighted and Shawwal 1 would fall on Sunday, May 24.

    The newspaper also reported that Indonesia, Turkey, Indonesia, and Qatar would also observe Eid on Sunday.

    Eid-ul-Fitr to be celebrated on May 24 in Pakistan: Fawad Chaudhry

    Earlier this week, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry had claimed that Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on May 24 (Sunday) in many countries, including Pakistan.

    Speaking during a TV programme, Chaudhry said that according to the calendar prepared by the science ministry, this year Eid will be celebrated across the country on May 24.

    The minister had said the interesting thing is that the festival will be celebrated on the same day in almost all parts of the world along with Pakistan, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

    Pakistan, like all Muslim countries, is gearing up to mark Eid-ul-Fitr amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has taken more than 1,000 lives in the country.

    The country started observing Eid holidays from May 22 and will continue to do so till May 27, a notification from the interior ministry said on Saturday.

  • Moon will be seen today, Eid tomorrow: Fawad Chaudhry

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday said Eidul Fitr will be celebrated in the country tomorrow (Sunday), according to calculations made by his ministry.

    Addressing a news briefing in Islamabad, he said his ministry wanted to end the conflict over moon-sighting by relying on technology, adding that he rejected notions that technology should not be involved in moon-sighting.

    “Islam is a religion of knowledge and intellect. Whoever says technology should not be involved in moon-sighting, we reject their perspective. When you wear glasses, this is also technology. How can you say if I see with glasses, it is halal but if I see through telescope, it is haram?” he questioned.

    “[The government] is always trying to accommodate different religious groups which has resulted in empowering sectarian groups. We see that our state accommodates religious groups during the Eid conflict every year even though we should pay heed to the Constitution, law and human intelligence in some matters.

    “Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai, who heads Peshawar’s Qasim Khan Mosque, makes a different announcement, the Ruet-i-Hilal committee makes another, so we decided this year [that the science ministry] would use technology to determine when Eid should be celebrated.”

    He said the ministry of science and technology had formed a committee comprising members from the space technology department, mathematicians and officials from the meteorological department, which concluded that Eidul Fitr in Pakistan will be tomorrow. He added that the committee also took opinions of ulema into consideration.

    Chaudhry said his ministry had identified eight areas across the country where the moon could be seen. Explaining further, he said there was a certain waiting period after sunset for the moon to be seen.

    “Saudi Arabia declares that the moon has been sighted only if they can view it a minute after the sun sets. After conferring with experts, the first principle we decided upon was that the ministry would wait for the moon to appear 38 minutes after sunset.

    “The height of the moon should be 6.5 degrees and the minimum angle at which the moon can be seen should be nine degrees.”

    He refuted the perception that the moon needed to be sighted to declare Eid. “This is not necessary as shown by teachings of Imam Hanbal and the religious scholar Javed Ahmed Ghamidi”.

    He added that his ministry had created a mobile application — The Ruet — through which people could see the position of the moon. He added that according to the app, after sunset on Saturday evening, the moon would be visible in Sanghar, Thatta and Badin areas of Sindh between 7:36 to 8:14pm.

    Chaudhry said it would be the first time that Muslim countries all over the world would celebrate Eidul Fitr on the same day.

    “A very interesting and important thing is happening this time […] that the four big groups of Islamic countries, the Arab groups — Saudi Arabia, UAE and other Arab countries, Turkey, Iran and Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei will all celebrate Eid on May 24,” he said.

    “Pakistan should also celebrate Eid tomorrow,” he said, adding that it was irrelevant whether the moon was sighted or not.

    “The Met office says we won’t be able to see the moon because of bad weather, that is irrelevant. Even Saudi Arabia has scrapped its Ruet committee because of the pandemic.”

    Chaudhry added that although Mufti Popalzai had declared Eid on Sunday, the moon would not be visible in the area today as well.

    He said his ministry had forwarded its recommendations to the Prime Minister’s Office and would follow whatever decision was taken.

    Decision on Eid to be taken by ulema’

    Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Noorul Haq Qadri said on Saturday that the decision on Eid would be taken by ulema.

    In a statement, he said that the government and people of Pakistan would celebrate Eid according to the decision taken by the Ruet-i-Hilal committee, which is scheduled to meet later today.

    Qadri added that Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry had also been included in the central committee this year.

    He said “help of science and technology could be taken” but clarified that sharia relied on witnesses for moon-sighting.

    With inputs from DAWN News

  • Auto industry will take a long time to recover: Bosch MD

    Soumitra Bhattacharya said the industry had regressed by three to four years due to the slowdown in the economy and COVID-19 had further pushed it back by 1.5 to 2 years.

    The pandemic has brought the global auto industry, which was already suffering a slowdown since 2018, to a complete standstill and the recovery will take at least four to five years, said Bosch on May 22.

    Bosch Ltd. managing director Soumitra Bhattacharya said the industry had regressed by three to four years due to the slowdown in the economy and COVID-19 had further pushed it back by 1.5 to 2 years. “The whole industry has been affected, and we are not an exception. The recovery will take long time,” he said.

    Mobility currently accounts for 80% of the company’s revenues. “We are affected, short-term, with all four segments of the automobile industry having shown decline. However, the long-term outlook seems good and we will bounce back. We are confident of growing our share further in the mobility space also. Overall, we target to growth faster than the industry,” he said.

    Bosch reported a 24% decline in its mobility business in 2019-20. It’s domestic sales declined by 26% and export declined by 6%. Within the mobility segment, the electric powertrain solutions business too declined by 30% due to slowdown in the automotive sector. Company’s other businesses declined 14%.

    Bosch’s March 31 ended quarter revenues were down at 18% to ₹2,236 crore while profit plunged 80% to ₹81 crore. “The decline is due to the reduced turnover following market slowdown and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic during the last few days of the quarter,” said the company.

    For the full year, operating revenue was also down by 18.1% to ₹9,841 crore while profit was ₹684 crore, down from ₹1,692 crore a year earlier.

    Going forward, there would be a lot of focus on digital-technology-driven innovations, as per Mr. Bhattacharya. “Connected mobility is a growing segment. Battery, energy and sensors are interesting spaces. Artificial intelligene and internet of things are the areas where we will have more focus on.”

    Bosch said it would not operate its factories at full capacity until some amount of recovery was established. “We will assess the market needs and operate our shifts. All non-essential expenditure have been put on hold with the company preparing to push all its investments into future projects like electrification.”

    Mr. Bhattacharya further said, there was no direct stimulus for the auto industry in the package the government recently annonced. “Recovery depends on some direct stimulus, relaxation in GST and clearance of the scrap policy. Money in the system can quickly revive demand in the market.”

    India is the second largest research and development base for mutinational engineering and technology firm Bosch, outside of its headquarters in Gerlingen, Germany. It currently has over 31,500 employees in India, including 18,000 engineers. In 2022, Bosch will have completed 100 years of its presence in India.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Will try to restart international flights soon: Puri

    The Civil Aviation Minister took questions from Facebook users during a live chat.

    Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Saturday that commercial international flight operation could start as early as middle of June if the situation improves and the “virus behaves in a predictable manner.”

    During a live chat on Facebook, he said the Centre was in touch with State governments to solve the problem being faced by passengers who are also “taxpayers” to reach the airport and “keeping the lockdown in continuation is not the answer.”

    Mr. Puri said India went into a lockdown straight and in one of the meetings he argued that “if the lockdown is going to come into effect on day X, I need two-day notice for the U.S” so that Air India planes could come back.

    “As an optimist I would say why wait till August or September, if situation eases or improves, if the virus behave in a predictable manner, we get used to the idea to co-exist with the virus and make arrangements…let say we have an ambitious goal, why not start middle of June, end- June or July, I know you will say MHA lockdown is till May 31…nothing is written in stone…we are starting the domestic flights from May 25, we are prepared,” he said.

    Mr. Puri said that pricing of tickets is a commercial matter between airline and the consumer and the government’s role was limited to issuing advisories.

    Mr. Puri said airlines have to carry on with “minimum economic viability” and as he keeps getting suggestions and complaints on the issue, he said he once asked a Member of Parliament in a lighter vein whether the “airline operation should be handed over to the Delhi langar society.”

    Air India requires Rs. 600 crore cash infusion every month and India was currently running Vande Bharat flights to evacuate stranded passengers from 50 countries. He said if private airlines are used for the Vande Bharat mission, then the price of tickets would be capped.

    In wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, all domestic and international flights were suspended on March 23, a day before the first phase of lockdown was imposed. Mr. Puri said 33% domestic flights will start operating from May 25 and a meeting was underway with State governments to decide the quarantine process. Some States have insisted on mandatory 14-day institutional quarantines for all incoming domestic passengers.

    On being asked on testing everyone for COVID-19 before they are allowed to fly, Mr. Puri said it was not a practical solution.

    “If you have an Aarogya Setu app and you are clear, do you want another test? India is conducting around 1 lakh per day…if you do not have any symptoms or did not come in contact with a COVID-19 positive person then what is the use of test? The test result will come in 7 hours…you take the test and wait for the result and then wait for another two hours before the boarding?” asked Mr. Puri. He said Aarogya Setu was preferable but airlines have not made it mandatory.

    “If you check several boxes, can give a self declaration…Why will the State want to quarantine you after these facts? It is a new situation, States will get used to it. Within next day or two we will have clarity,” Mr. Puri said.

    He said food will not be allowed on domestic flights and that “virus could come on the paper.”

    “All domestic sectors are short duration from 40 minutes upto to 3 hours, have a good meal at home and then come. Water will be available at the point of entry and in the jacket of your seat,” he said.

    As far as one-year-valid visa for outbound passengers was concerned, Mr. Puri said they were not the one prescribing it. “As long the visa is valid at the point of entry….we are trying to avoid a situation that the passenger is deported….democracies have this great ability. A visa doesn’t mean that it gives you unrestricted rights….recently four students with valid visas who wanted to board a flight to the U.S.A were stopped as the airline was informed that all college and institutions were shut over there,” he said.

    On being asked, why most flights under Vande Bharat were destined for Kerala and not other States like Andhra Pradesh or Telangana, Mr. Puri said State governments will have to take the lead and some State governments were more proactive than the others.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Eid Prayer During Lockdown

    How to Lead your Family and friends in Eid Prayer at Home – A Step by Step guide:

    Watch Video:

    The Eid prayer has two raka’at performed in the normal way, with the only addition of six Takbirs, three of them in the beginning of the first raka’ah, and three of them just before ruku’ in the second raka’ah.

    The detailed way of performing the Eid prayer is as follows:

    The Imam will begin the prayer without Adhan or iqamah. He will begin the prayer by reciting Takbir of Tahrimah (Allahu Akbar). You should raise your hands up to the ears, and after reciting the Takbir, you should set your hands on your navel. The Imam will give a little pause during which you should recite Thana’ (Subhanakallahumma…)

    After the completion of Thana’, the Imam will recite Takbir (Allahu Akbar) three times. At the first two calls of Takbir you should raise your hands up to the ears, and after reciting Takbir (Allahu Akbar) in a low voice, should bring your hands down and leave them earthwards. But, after the third Takbir, you should set them on your navel as you do in the normal prayers.

    After these three Takbirs, the Imam will recite the Holy Qur’an, which you should listen calmly and quietly. The rest of the raka’ah will be performed in the normal way.

    After rising for the second raka’ah, the Imam will begin the recitations from the Holy Qur’an during which you should remain calm and quiet. When the Imam finishes his recitation, he will recite three Takbirs once again, but this time it will be just before bowing down for ruku’. At each Takbir you should raise your hands up to the ears, and after saying ‘Allahu Akbar’, bring them down and leave them earthwards. After these three takbirs have been called and completed, the Imam will say another takbir for bowing down into the ruku’ position. At this takbir you need not raise your hands. You just bow down for your ruku’ saying, ‘Allahu Akbar’. The rest of the salah will be performed in its usual way.

    Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.

  • Ban on Zoom | Supreme Court issues notice to Centre

    Plea says the app made users ‘vulnerable and prone to cyber threats’.

    The Supreme Court on Friday asked the government to respond to a petition seeking a ban on the use of video communications app ‘Zoom’ for official and personal purposes.

    A Bench led by Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde issued notice to the Centre on the plea raising privacy concerns. The court said the government should file a reply in four weeks.

    The plea by Delhi resident Harsh Chugh said the app made users “vulnerable and prone to cyber threats.”

    It has alleged that the Zoom app “practices data hoarding and cyber hoarding,” which include mass storage of personal data of its users and stores cloud recordings, instant messages and files.

    “Zoom is reported to have a bug that can be abused intentionally to leak information of users to third parties. The app has been falsely claiming that calls are end-to-end encrypted when they are not,” the petition said.

    It claimed that Zoom had apologised publicly for “mistakenly routing traffic through China” where Internet is heavily monitored by the government.

    The plea has alleged that Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the nodal cybersecurity agency, has also warned Zoom users of cyber risks.

    With inputs from The Hindu

  • Saudi Arabia, UAE mosques to stay closed for Eid prayers

    Reuters

    Mosques will remain closed for prayers on the Eid Al-Fitr festival, Saudi and United Arab Emirates officials said on Friday, calling on the population to adhere to safety guidelines to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus.

    The Eid, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, may fall on Saturday or Sunday in the Gulf region.

    Saudi Islamic Affairs Minister Abdullatif al-Sheikh gave instructions not to have Eid prayers in mosques, Saudi state TV quoted him as saying.

    “Muslims will hold the Eid prayer at home because of the pandemic,” the Saudi Press Agency cited Sheikh Abdul Bari al-Thubaiti, the imam, or the prayer leader, of the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, as saying in the Friday sermon.

    During Ramadan, prayers without worshippers were held by the imams in the two holy mosques of Mecca and Medina, in the west of the kingdom.

    In the UAE, the Dubai government’s media office said on Twitter that mosques will remain closed, and listed a series of Eid customs that should not be observed, including family visits and giving gifts or money to children.

  • Coronavirus | China reports no new cases for first time since January

    The official death toll in the country of 1.4 billion people stands at 4,634.

    AFP

    China on Saturday reported zero new coronavirus infections for the first time since it started reporting data in January, a day after Communist Party leaders celebrated “major achievements” in the virus fight.

    The virus first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, but cases have dwindled dramatically from the peak in mid-February as the country appears to have brought the virus largely under control.

    The official death toll in the country of 1.4 billion people stands at 4,634, well below the number of fatalities in much smaller countries.

    However, doubt has been cast on the reliability of China’s numbers and the United States has led the charge in questioning how much information Beijing has shared with the international community.

    The milestone comes a day after the opening of China’s rubber-stamp parliament, the National People’s Congress, where Premier Li Keqiang said the country had “made major strategic achievements in our response to COVID-19.”

    However he warned that the country still faced “immense” challenges.

    Authorities in Wuhan have come under fire for reprimanding and silencing doctors who first raised the alarm about the virus late last year, and repeated changes to counting methodology have cast further doubt over China’s official data.

    Beijing has strenuously denied accusations of a cover up, insisting it has always shared information with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other countries in a timely manner.

    Since first emerging in Wuhan the virus has spread across the world, claiming more than 3,35,000 lives globally.

  • Trump declares churches ‘essential,’ calls on them to reopen

    The president threatened on Friday to “override” governors who defy him, but it was unclear what authority he has to do so.

    AP

    U.S. President Donald Trump has labeled churches and other houses of worship as “essential” and called on governors nationwide to let them reopen this weekend even though some areas remain under coronavirus lockdown.

    The president threatened on Friday to “override” governors who defy him, but it was unclear what authority he has to do so.

    “Governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now – for this weekend,” Trump said at a hastily arranged press conference at the White House. Asked what authority Trump might have to supersede governors, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said she wouldn’t answer a theoretical question.

    Mr. Trump has been pushing for the country to reopen as he tries to reverse an economic free fall playing out months before he faces reelection. White evangelical Christians have been among the president’s most loyal supporters, and the White House has been careful to attend to their concerns throughout the crisis.

    Following Mr. Trump’s announcement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines for communities of faith on how to safely reopen, including recommendations to limit the size of gatherings and consider holding services outdoors or in large, well-ventilated areas.

    Public health agencies have generally advised people to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people and encouraged Americans to remain 6 feet (1.8 meters) away from others when possible. Some parts of the country remain under some version of remain-at-home orders.

    In-person religious services have been vectors for transmission of the virus. A person who attended a Mother’s Day service at a church in Northern California that defied the governor’s closure orders later tested positive, exposing more than 180 churchgoers. And a choir practice at a church in Washington state was labeled by the CDC as an early “superspreading” event.

    But Mr. Trump on Friday stressed the importance of churches in many communities and said he was “identifying houses of worship – churches, synagogues and mosques – as essential places that provide essential services.”

    “Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential” but not churches, he said. “It’s not right. So I’m correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential.”

    “These are places that hold our society together and keep our people united,” he added.

    Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said faith leaders should be in touch with local health departments and can take steps to mitigate risks, including making sure those who are at high risk of severe complications remain protected.

    “There’s a way for us to work together to have social distancing and safety for people so we decrease the amount of exposure that anyone would have to an asymptomatic,” she said.

    A person familiar with the White House’s thinking who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations said Mr. Trump had called the news conference, which had not been on his public schedule, because he wanted to be the face of church reopenings, knowing how well it would play with his political base.

    Churches around the country have filed legal challenges opposing virus closures. In Minnesota, after Democratic Gov. Tim Walz this week declined to lift restrictions on churches, Roman Catholic and some Lutheran leaders said they would defy his ban and resume worship services. They called the restrictions unconstitutional and unfair since restaurants, malls and bars were allowed limited reopening.

    Some hailed the president’s move, including Kelly Shackelford, president of the conservative First Liberty Institute.

    “The discrimination that has been occurring against churches and houses of worship has been shocking,” he said in a statement. “Americans are going to malls and restaurants. They need to be able to go to their houses of worship.”

    But Rabbi Jack Moline, president of Interfaith Alliance, said it was “completely irresponsible” for Mr. Trump to call for a mass reopening of houses of worship.

    “Faith is essential and community is necessary; however, neither requires endangering the people who seek to participate in them,” he said. “The virus does not discriminate between types of gatherings, and neither should the president.”

    Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, a Democrat, made clear that churches and other houses of worship will not resume in-person services in her state until at least next weekend and said she was skeptical Trump had the authority to impose such a requirement.

    “It’s reckless to force them to reopen this weekend. They’re not ready,” she said. “We’ve got a good plan. I’m going to stick with it.”

    New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, said he would review the federal guidance, while maintaining a decision rests with him.

    “Obviously we’d love to get to the point where we can get those open, but we’ll look at the guidance documents and try to make some decisions rather quickly, depending on what it might say,” he said. “It’s the governor’s decision, of course.”

    The CDC more than a month ago sent the Trump administration documents the agency had drafted outlining specific steps various kinds of organizations, including houses of worship, could follow as they worked to reopen safely. But the White House dragged its feet, concerned that the recommendations were too specific and could give the impression the administration was interfering in church operations.

    The guidance posted Friday contains most of the same advice as the draft guidance. It calls for the use of face coverings and recommends keeping worshippers 6 feet from one another and cutting down on singing, which can spread aerosolized drops that carry the virus.

    But there are some differences.

    The draft guidance discussed reopening in steps. A first phase would have limited gatherings to video streaming and drive-in services. Later phases allow in-person gatherings of limited size and only when social distancing precautions could be followed. The new guidance has no discussion of such phases.

    Another difference- The draft guidance said everyone who attends a service should wear a face covering, while the new guidance says masks should be used when social distancing cannot be maintained.