ISIS has advised militants on how to stop the pandemic's spread | Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images ISIS tells terrorists to steer clear of coronavirus-stricken Europe Terror group advises hand washing rather than attacks on the West.

Islamic State (ISIS) has adopted a safety-first approach to the coronavirus pandemic and advised its members not to travel to Europe, Homeland Security Today reported.

In the latest edition of the terrorist group’s al-Naba newsletter, the editors who normally urge followers to carry out attacks on the West instead ask them to "stay away from the land of the epidemic" for the time being.

In a full-page infographic on the back cover, a list of pro-tips instructs militants on how to stop the pandemic's spread. ISIS members are advised to "put trust in God and seek refuge in Him from illnesses," but to also "cover the mouth when yawning and sneezing," and to wash their hands frequently.

Those who believe they might have contracted coronavirus are told to stay away from areas under ISIS control in order to preserve the health of others and fulfil the holy "obligation of taking up the causes of protection from illnesses and avoiding them."

Much like more conventional publications, al-Naba has been breathlessly reporting on the coronavirus's spread since the beginning of this year, when it first wrote about the "new virus [that] spreads death and terror in China." Although past editions of al-Naba have expressed concern that members of China's Uyghur muslim minority could bring the virus into areas under its control, in the latest newsletter the editors portray the pandemic as a problem that is affecting the outside world.

So far, few cases have been reported in the African countries where the militant group is active, and the ongoing wars have made it impossible to determine if the virus has spread to Syria and Yemen. However, numerous cases have been confirmed in other countries that ISIS claims as part of its caliphate, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iraq and the Philippines.

Authors: