Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
The pandemic menace notwithstanding, citizens and residents of Sharjah certainly made it a point not to be homebound for the festive occasion.
They went all out for outings to make the most of the celebrations, the longest Eid holiday so far. The inhabitants celebrated the second day of Eid Al Adha in public parks, beaches and recreational places, amid manifestations of joy, ensuring however that they did not step out of line over health measures to tackle the coronavirus.
The clean healthy environment encouraged families to spend most of their time with children in parks and gardens.
The concerned authorities in the emirate control the celebrations through the inspection teams that continued to supervise and follow up on the celebrations on an ongoing basis.
On its part, the municipality has intensified the awareness and guidance in all areas that witnessed a large public turnout, such as parks, beaches and squares, to ensure the public's adherence to the preventive measures.
Families make most of the Eid holiday at Al Qasba.
It has also provided a number of well-trained and skilled inspectors in those places, in order to deal professionally with the public. They have also received first aid courses, to enable them to deal with emergency cases.
An earlier report said in the UAE, Eid celebrations began with a call from the authorities to follow strict virus safety protocols. The authority advised all worshippers to bring their own prayer mats, stressing that it was strictly forbidden for COVID-19 patients and their close contacts to attend prayers.
The authorities said, "Please avoid gatherings and handshakes before and after the Eid prayer in all its forms, and greet and congratulate each other from a distance only.”
The Eid Al Adha holidays began on July 19, Monday (Day of Arafat), and will end on Thursday, July 22, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources announced.
Residents enjoy a sunny afternoon at the Sharjah beach.
The UAE residents are having the longest break of this year on Eid. The two-day weekend on July 23 and 24 will follow it. And work for all federal ministries and entities will resume on Sunday, 25th July.
This applies to those who have a two-day weekly off. The residents in the UAE will enjoy a six-day Eid holiday.
Different areas of the seven emirates have been decorated on the occasion, but authorities have urged members of the public to adhere to precautionary measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.