UAE mosques open for Friday prayers, here are rules you need to follow

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The UAE government has announced the resumption of Friday prayers in the country.

The statement was issued during a COVID-19 media briefing on Tuesday.

The authorities said that Friday prayers will resume from December 4, 2020.

The mosques will open doors for worshippers 30 minutes before the sermon. 

A view of the Al Noor Mosque in Sharjah. File

The Health Ministry said that social distancing and precautionary measures would be applicable.

The move will see mosques operating at 30% capacity for the prayer.

UAE Government spokesperson Dr Saif Al Dhaheri said, “We will be limiting the capacity to 30% in the mosque, and allowing prayers in the outer courtyards of mosques with the transmission of the sermon by loudspeakers."

Mosque volunteers will arrange the safe distancing protocol between worshippers and organise the entry and exit.

Saif said that the duration of the sermon with prayer should not exceed 10 minutes.

All worshippers must wear a mask and bring their own prayer mats.

The authorities said that sharing of prayer mats is prohibited.