With the Covid-19 restrictions being lifted, 200 additional mosques will host Friday prayers, the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has announced.
The ministry has published the names, numbers and locations of the additional mosques where Friday prayers will be held from Friday (August 7). A total of 400 mosques are now available for Friday prayers.
The ministry has asked the faithful to follow the safety measures. “All precautions and safety measures announced in the last phase of reopening are applicable,” a tweet by the Awqaf ministry said.
For the Friday prayer, the mosques will be opened with the first prayer call, 30 minutes before Friday's sermon. They will be closed after 10 minutes of Friday prayers. The ministry has informed that social distancing will be applied to the Friday sermon and prayers. Women and children will not be allowed in the mosque during Friday prayers. Awqaf has urged persons with ailments and the elderly to perform the prayers at home.
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 a glove,” a tweet by the ministry said earlier.
The worshippers, according to the circular by the ministry, should cover 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 to the mosques early as they will be opened only with prayer calls. The believers should maintain a distance of two meters from each other and not gather inside the mosque.
The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has requested the worshippers to bring their own Mus’haf if they want to recite the Qur'an inside the mosque or make use of the applications available in mobile phones. “They should bring their own prayer mat and not share with others or leave it in the mosque,” MoPH has said.
A total of 200 mosques were opened for Eid al-Adha prayers on July 31 while 401 mosques and prayer ground were available as well.
In the first phase, a total of 500 mosques were reopened on June 15 while 299 mosques were made available for prayers in the second phase on July 1. As many as 300 additional mosques were opened on July 27.
