How did restrictions at the National Mosque affect social distancing?

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Restrictions at the National Mosque prevented media from positioning themselves, which would have made social distancing easier
At the National Mosque, media were cordoned off to a tiny area inside the massive mosque during coverage of the first Friday prayers since the start of the lockdown. Because they were not allowed to position themselves from other areas, the crowded “jostling” seen in the images would have been limited by the physical restriction. In that setup, the restriction in a public building would have automatically addressed the social distancing requirement for the media by limiting where they could stand and move.
Media were confined to a small section inside the mosque
Reporters and photographers covering the first Friday prayers were restricted to a tiny area within the National Mosque. They were not permitted to move to other parts of the mosque to take photographs. This confinement meant their access for filming and photography was physically limited to a single, small location.
The restriction limited movement that would otherwise increase crowding
The criticism focused on media failing to adhere to social distancing while trying to capture photos and videos. In the restricted arrangement, they could not reposition themselves across the mosque to find different angles. By preventing them from spreading out to other areas, the setup effectively constrained how close they could be to others outside that cordoned zone.
The cordon-off setup addressed social distancing by design
The coverage described that, in a public building, restricting media to a small zone would have automatically solved the social distancing requirement for the media. Since the media were prevented from selecting positions elsewhere, the number of people in the relevant viewing and shooting area was controlled by the cordon. That meant social distancing could be managed through the layout and access limits rather than through individual compliance alone.
The event was tied to mosque reopening procedures in “green zones”
The media coverage of the first Friday prayers was described as informing the public about reopening procedures for some mosques in the Federal Territories “green zones,” along with standard operating procedures (SOPs). The report also stated that the media were still restricted during this event, even though the coverage was meant to show how such prayers would be hosted. In other words, the same event that was used to communicate SOPs was also where the media access restriction limited where photographers could stand.

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How did restrictions at the National Mosque affect social distancing?

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