FAITH leaders from Bradford have spoken out amid fears that the district could face a local lockdown, with some places of worship keeping their doors shut for now, despite being allowed to re-open from today.

Others, however, are still going ahead with their returns to the 'new normal', although will be forced to close again should Bradford experience the same fate as Leicester, which went into lockdown on Monday.

In June, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an easing of lockdown measures, with places of worship among the venues that would be able to re-open from 4 July.

The announcement was met with a mix of excitement and apprehension by faith leaders in Bradford, but the news that the district may now face a local lockdown - after Public Health England figures showed it has the second highest rate of new infections in the country - has caused uncertainty.

Shohaib Ali, Manager of Muhammadi Masjid in Keighley, said the mosque has made the decision to remain shut, opting to stay "on the side of caution."

"We were going to re-open today, but we don't want to take the risk", said Mr Ali.

"We don't want to rush things, and have decided to delay our re-opening. With COVID-19, things often change quickly, so we're keeping an eye on the situation on a daily basis. But for now, we need to stay on the side of caution and remain closed.

"It is not an easy decision to make, as you're stopping individuals from exercising their spiritual rights, but protection and preservation of life is more important to us than re-opening is.

"If numbers are increasing, that's a concern. If people attend communal gatherings they put their households at risk. People from what they call the 'BAME' community are also at a higher risk, as are the elderly, who tend to come to the mosque more than younger people.

"We hope our community can remain patient for now, and also stay safe."

Other places of worship are also taking a cautious approach to re-opening.

Karen Kaur, Chair of Trustees at Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara, and Ajit Singh Gill, President of the gurdwara, said: "We have been open for private prayer, following Government guidelines, since 20 June, and for now, we will be sticking to the current arrangements.

"We're open on a daily basis, from 9am to 1pm, for individual prayers. There are no congregational prayers, we have risk assessments in place and are carrying out tracking and tracing and other vital procedures.

"As a management committee, we know if Bradford goes into lockdown, then, unfortunately, our doors will close.

"We know that, from tomorrow, we can re-open for congregational prayer, but we don’t feel ready to offer that service yet."

Reverend Nathan Javed, of GBM Churches, expressed a similar view: "We will follow exactly what the Government says. We're open for now, but if Bradford goes into lockdown, we may have to say goodbye to that for a while.

"It is people's personal choice if they want to attend at the moment, and services will still be available online if they choose not to.

"If people do attend, all the necessary requirements will be fulfilled and our churches will be made as safe as possible."

Javed Bashir, Safeguarding Consultant at Strengthening Faith Institutions (SFI), has been helping places of worship across the Bradford district with risk assessments, in the wake of the planned re-openings, and believes those in charge must make their own decisions ahead of recent speculation.

He said: "We have been helping places of worship with their risk assessments, customised to their own specific circumstances, including their sizes and types of activities and how they are organised, operated, managed and regulated.

"Places of worship are allowed to re-open on 4 July, subject to meeting certain conditions, which have been highlighted by SFI.

"However, the trustees have a responsibility for their staff, users and volunteers, and therefore need to make their own decisions in light of the possibility of another lockdown in Bradford."