Several churches in the UAE announced temporary closures and the suspension of Mass from Thursday to curb the spread of Covid-19.
In notices to worshippers, St Andrew's Church in Abu Dhabi and St Michael's Church in Sharjah said all group services and activities were postponed until further notice.
Some churches announced they would remain open for individual prayer.
In support of the UAE government's efforts to contain the outbreak, the Rev Canon Andy Thompson, senior chaplain at St Andrew's Church, said its decision to close completely was voluntary.
“St Andrew’s Church is home to more than 60 congregations numbering several thousand worshippers gathering in the same space every week,” he said in a circular.
“Against the backdrop of schools, universities and conferences being closed down in the UAE, we have decided to voluntarily close as we cannot meet the standards required to keep people safe.
“We have a duty of care for all of these groups and we take this responsibility seriously.”
In a notice sent by St Michael's Church in Sharjah, Father Varghese Chempoly informed parishioners that all group prayer gatherings were suspended from Thursday.
But he said the church grounds would remain open for those wishing to conduct personal prayers. "As per the instructions received from the Sharjah Ruler's office, please be informed that all the services, including the celebration of the Holy Mass and other sacraments, are suspended from Thursday until further notice," he said.
Speaking to The National on Thursday, a parish staff member said they would closely monitor the situation in the coming days.
“For now, the Sharjah government office has advised we suspend group services only,” he said. “People are still free to visit the church to make individual offerings but we are trying to avoid large crowds within the premises.”
On Wednesday, a notice signed by Edwin Maria Arasu, director of His Highness Special Projects at the Sharjah Ruler’s office, was sent out to all 10 churches in the emirate urging them to suspend all group services.
The move was "part of the precautionary and preventive measures taken to reduce the possibility transmission of the coronavirus disease", it said.
The notice was sent to St Martin’s Anglican Church, Sharjah Union Church, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Sharjah Worship Centre, among others.
On Thursday, Masses went ahead as normal in Dubai.
But church leaders said they were following “strict guidelines set out by the Dubai Health Authority” to protect worshippers against the virus.
At St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Dubai's Jebel Ali, parish priest Father Reinhold Sahner said the church had "stepped up cleaning operations" in light of the virus.
“We have fitted extra hand-sanitiser units throughout the church and we have a team of people on-hand that are cleaning the area with disinfectants after every service,” he said.
“Besides that, we are running our normal services and Masses as scheduled. We are trying to reduce the running time of each Mass to about 40 minutes instead of one hour, but as yet, we have not been advised to cancel any group services.
“We have cancelled all kinds of preparatory prayers like the rosary and have asked people to perform them at home.”
Father Sahner said that as per the directives of Bishop Paul Hinder, staff have urged worshippers to stay home if they are ill. Running three English language services daily during weekdays, five on a Friday and four on a Saturday, he said they have encouraged people to try to spread out their attendance to avoid big crowds.
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“We have witnessed a slight decrease of about 10 to 15 per cent in visitors as a result of the virus,” he said. “But with Masses in Sharjah now cancelled, we might see an influx of people coming through – so we will have to monitor that.”
St Mary's Catholic Church in Oud Metha sent out an advisory to churchgoers outlining the steps it was taking to safeguard visitors against the virus.
“For the time being, regular Masses will go on,” the circular read.
“But all [worshippers] are requested to leave the church immediately thereafter.
"All [other] prayer meetings in all church facilities remain cancelled until further notice.
“All are requested not to touch and kiss the holy pictures in the church.”
On March 8, Bishop Hinder, the Pope's most senior representative in the Arabian Peninsula, told churches to empty their holy water fonts and make changes to the giving of communion to avoid spreading the illness.
