Dubai: Muslim worshippers in Oman will be allowed to perform Friday prayers in mosques starting September 24, local media reported.
The Omani Ministry of Religious and Endowment Affairs said it has granted permission to open mosques for Friday prayers through online electronic permits starting from September 24.
Starting from September 19, worshippers can submit the application for permits to attend Friday prayers through this weblink: https://www.mara.gov.om/arabic/jmah_form.aspx.
The decision to resume Friday prayers was made after the country’s Health Minister said the COVID-19 situation in the Sultanate was improving. Friday prayers in mosques were halted for more than 18 months to tackle the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
Earlier yesterday, Dr Ahmed Mohammed Al Saeedi, Minister of Health, affirmed the epidemiological situation of COVID-19 pandemic in Oman was improving continuously, attested by a steady decline in the number of new infections and deaths. Only 20 patients are in intensive care units in the Sultanate, he added.
In a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA) and Oman TV, the minister stressed the need to keep adhering to precautionary measures because, he said, the pandemic is lurking, with many other countries registering a big surge in infection cases.
Speaking about the vaccination process in the Sultanate, the minister said that 92 per cent of Omanis received the first dose. He added the combined percentage of vaccinated citizens and residents stood at 74 per cent. The minister hoped that by the end of this month, 100 per cent of Omanis will have received the first dose and that, by the end of October, 100 per cent of Omanis and residents in the target segments would have been fully vaccinated.
