Five hundred mosques across Qatar will be reopened in the first phase on June 15, the Ministry of Awqaf (Endowments) and Islamic Affairs announced on Thursday.
The ministry has published a list of the mosques and urged the faithful to follow the directives from the authorities to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).
It was in March that the Ministry ordered mosques to close and suspend the five obligatory congregational prayers and Friday prayers for the safety and well-being of worshippers and as a preventive and precautionary measure to limit the spread of the virus.
Only the Imam Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab Mosque was exempted from this decision, where Friday prayers were held exclusively in the presence of 40 worshippers, including the imam and the mosque's employees.
According to the ministry's announcement on Thursday, the mosques will be reopened at various areas including Abal Heeran, Bin Omran, Bu Sidra, Bu Hamour, Ezgava, Al Salata Al Jadeeda, Umm Saneem, Umm Al Amad, Umm Salal Ali, Umm Salal Mohamed, Gharrafat Al Rayyan, Umm Qarn, Umm Lekhba, Al Luqta, Bane Hajer, Bu Sidra, Al Khor, Al Kheesa, Al Ruwais, Al Rayyan Al Jadeed, Al Sadd, Al Sudan, Al Shahaniyya, Al Azeeziya, Onaiza, Ain Khaled, Al Gharrafa, Madinat Khalifa South, Legataifiya, Al Mirqab, Al Meshaf, Muaither South, Al Wajba, Al Hilal, Al Wakra and Al Wukair.
The Ministry has asked all to abide by the restrictions.
“Precaution is obligatory and commitment to precautionary measures helps us to win this epidemic. Do not shake hands even if you are wearing gloves,” the Ministry said in a tweet.
The worshippers, according to a circular by the Ministry, should cover their mouth and nose while sneezing, wear face masks as long as they are in the mosques and make ablution at home because the bathrooms and ablution place of the mosques will be closed.
The Ministry has asked the faithful not to go early to the mosques as they will be opened only with prayer calls. The worshippers should maintain a distance of 2m between each other and should not gather inside the mosque.
They should bring their own prayer mat and not share it with others or leave it in the mosque. The faithful can locate the nearest reopened mosque by accessing the link
https://www.islam.gov.qa/services/COVID19Mosques.aspx.
