Coronavirus: Egypt to reopen some mosques for Friday prayers

New arrivals to country must present negative PCR test

The Sultan Hassan Al Rifai mosque in Cairo. Egyptian authorities aid they would reopen some mosques for Friday prayers from August 28, 2020. AFP

Egypt will reopen mosques for Friday prayers from August 28 after five months.

The decision was announced late on Wednesday by Awqaf Minister Mukhtar Gomaa.

Friday prayers will only be allowed in major mosques, which will be announced later, Mr Gomaa said.

Worshippers will have to wear masks, maintain social distancing and bring their own prayer mats, he said.

The sermon will be restricted to 10 minutes and mosques will close immediately after prayers.

Ablution facilities attached to mosques will remain closed. Mosques will still be unavailable for congregational prayers for the dead.

Mosques that breach regulations will lose their permit to hold Friday prayers.

Muslims who fear contracting Covid-19 can continue to pray at home for the time being, Mr Gomaa said.

Worshippers have been allowed to visit mosques for the five daily prayers since late June and Christian churches reopened for congregational prayers on August 3, but with health precautions.

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Coronavirus around the world

Coronavirus survivor Azareth Amaya Gamez, right, embraces her mother Glenda Yaneth Amaya Gamez inside their home in Miami Gardens, Florida, USA. AFP

A healthcare worker draws blood from a journalist to test for coronavirus at a trade union office for media workers, in La Paz, Bolivia. AP Photo

A healthcare worker prepares to conduct a Covid-19 test on a patient at a testing facility in Melbourne, Australia. Reuters

Medical workers prepare to carry out Covid-19 tests at a makeshift clinic run by Konyang University Hospital in Daejeon, South Korea. EPA

Orion EMS employees wheel a patient who tested positive for Covid-19 into an ambulance in Houston, Texas, USA. Reuters

A student gets his temperature checked at a school in Sanaa, Yemen. EPA

An inmate models the protective gear inmates manufacture as fellow inmate Luis Huaman makes face shields at a workshop in the Lurigancho prison, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. AP Photo

A man rides a bicycle past a replica of a coffin reading "Covid-19 victim's coffin" as an appeal to residents to be more aware of the coronavirus in Jakarta, Indonesia. EPA

A municipality worker sprays disinfectant in the main market area after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19, in Kathmandu, Nepal. AFP

A man commutes on a bicycle during monsoon rainfalls in New Delhi, India. AFP

Passengers seated in between plastic barriers, wear face masks and face shields to help curb Covid-19 infections, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Reuters

People play soccer on a dusty field in Soweto, South Africa. South African president Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the entire country will move to lockdown alert level 2 from Tuesday. AP Photo

Members of the media wait for Democratic Vice Presidential nominee US Senator Kamala Harris to speak on the third night of the Democratic National Convention from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. AFP

Young people maintain social distancing as they take the entrance exam for Mexico's National Autonomous University in the stands of University Olympic Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico. Reuters

A visitor attends an art exhibition on the coronavirus pandemic in the southeastern city of Daegu, South Korea. EPA

A circus artist performs in a street in Medellin, Colombia, as part of a campaign promoted by the city administration amid the new coronavirus pandemic. AFP

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The daily number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Egypt remains low after a dramatic decline that began in late July.

June was the deadliest month in Egypt's outbreak of the pandemic that began in February.

But authorities fearing a “second wave” of Covid-19 infections are appealing to Egyptians to adhere to health precautions before schools and universities reopen next month and in October.

The government has warned that strict preventive measures would be introduced if the number of infections surges again.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said this week that he wanted to see “zero” infections and warned that Egyptians must remain diligent to prevent the number of cases from rising again.

Public parks and beaches remain closed, but private beaches along the Mediterranean coastline are busy during weekdays and packed on weekends, with no heed or care for preventive measures.

This is part of the casual attitude most Egyptians have taken with the pandemic.

Authorities, meanwhile, said this week that from September 1, travellers to Egypt will have to show evidence of a negative PCR test to gain entry.

Egypt reopened its airports and allowed air traffic to resume on July 1 after a three-month closure.