COVID-19: Qatar to reopen 300 additional mosques tomorrow

Dubai: Around 300 mosques in various parts of Qatar are set to be reopen for worshipers from the dawn prayer on Tuesday, July 28 local media reported quoting the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.

The move comes as part of the third phase of lifting Covid-19 restrictions. 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.

People with chronic diseases and elderly have been asked to perform prayers at home.

The ministry has asked people not to go to the mosques earlier because they will only open after the call to prayer. Worshipers should maintain a distance of two metres and should not gather inside the mosque at the end of prayers.

They should bring their own prayer mat and must avoid sharing it with others or leaving it inside mosques.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) yesterday issued a decision allowing gymnasiums to resume their operations and activities in the third phase, with precautionary guidelines to be strictly followed.

Gymnasiums will have to limit the occupancy rate to 50 per cent of capacity after reopening in Phase 3.

The decision comes into effect tomorrow and may be subject to amendments and updates according to the latest developments in this regard. “Any violation of this decision will subject perpetrators to legal accountability and procedures,” the MoCI said.

According to the decision, gyms must comply with the precautionary and preventive measures outlined by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA).

Despite having the world’s highest per capita rates of coronavirus infections, Qatar has one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the world. It has so far reported 109,140 confirmed infections, 165 fatalities and 106,024 recoveries.