Faithful reach out to the Almighty from mosques
Thousands of worshippers in the UAE performed the Friday prayers for the first time ater a hiatus of more than 8 months as a result of applying precautionary and preventive measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.
The prayers were suspended since 16 March 2020.
The National Authority for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management and the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments reopened mosques to perform the Friday prayers, while continuing to apply all preventive and precautionary measures and requirements to prevent the transmission of infection among worshippers. Authorities highlighted that worshippers could pray outside the mosque and apply all health requirements.
Imams welcomed worshippers during the sermon. The sermon touched upon the topic of the importance of culture of praise and gratitude.
The General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments also called on the elderly citizens, residents, children and sick people to adhere to prayer at home for fear of infection.
Worshippers have been urged to avoid greeting with handshakes and avoid crowding in the mosques ater prayer, especially at entrances and exits.
Gulf Today reporters went to mosques in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi to follow up on COVID-19 guidelines.
It was learned that all the mosques in the emirates were adhering to precautionary measures and social distancing protocol.
In Sharjah, residents were seen on the courtyard of a mosque maintaining the social distancing guidelines.
All mosques were operating at a capacity of up to 30% for the prayers.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) announced that it conducted 113,928 additional COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment.
Ministry announced 1,311 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the UAE to 174,062.
The ministry also announced a death due to COVID-19 complications, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 586.
MOHAP also noted that an additional 793 individuals had fully recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 157,828.
The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Friday that the poor risk being “trampled” as wealthy nations roll out COVID-19 vaccines, which he said should be a public good.
WHO Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world was seeing “light at the end of the tunnel” in the nearly year-long COVID crisis.
“But let me be clear. We simply cannot accept a world in which the poor and marginalised are trampled by the rich and powerful in the stampede for vaccines,” Tedros said.
Over 1.5 million people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 with one death reported every nine seconds on a weekly average, as vaccinations are set to begin in December in a handful of developed nations.
Half a million deaths occurred in just the last two months, indicating that the severity of the pandemic is far from over. Nearly 65 million people globally have been infected by the disease and the worst affected country, United States, is currently batling a third wave of coronavirus infections.
In the last week alone, more than 10,000 people in the world died on average every single day, which has been steadily rising each passing week. Many countries across the world are now fighting second and third waves even greater than the first, forcing new restrictions on everyday life.
Bahrain said on Friday it has granted emergency use authorisation for the Pfizer/biontech COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the second country ater Britain to approve it.
The Gulf Arab state had also approved Sinopharm’s COVID-19 vaccine in November for use by frontline workers.
“The approval of the Pfizer/biontech vaccine will add a further important layer to the Kingdom’s national COVID-19 response,” Dr Mariam Al Jalahma, CEO of Bahrain’s National Health Regulatory Authority said in a statement.
The novel coronavirus caused more deaths in the past year than tuberculosis in 2019 and nearly four times the number of deaths due to malaria, according to the World Health Organisation ( WHO).
Friday sermon focuses on gratitude, patience and praise; UAE records 1,311 COVID-19 cases, a death; poor could be trampled in vaccine push: WHO; 10,000 die on average every day; Bahrain grants emergency use for Pfizer, Biontech vaccine.