Mosques and Churches to Reopen on 1 July

The UAE’s General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments has published the anti-Coronavirus measures mosques and other places of worship will have to comply with when they reopen on 1 July. They will able to reopen at 30% capacity. Ablution should be done at home and hands should be washed with soap. Worshippers should wear a face mask in public and in the mosque. They should bring their own prayer mat and not leave it unattended at mosques. They should avoid touching surfaces and doorknobs. Bright floor markers have been placed to ensure worshippers keep at least three metres away from each other and only obligatory prayers should be performed at mosques. Optional ones can be offered at home. Congestion at mosques, especially at entrances and exits should also be avoided. Prayer areas on highways, industrial zones, labour camps, commercial centres and parks are not covered by the Decision. Friday prayers will also not be allowed to resume. The elderly, children and those with chronic diseases should not go to mosques. Elsewhere, Dubai’s Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department has published additional guidelines. They include requiring mosques to stay open only from the time of azan until the end of the obligatory prayer in congregation and the obligatory prayer must be performed immediately after the azan. Mosques will have to close after congregational prayers and worshippers cannot distribute face masks and gloves at the entrance of the mosques. Other distributions including food are also not allowed. Full story

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