Places of worship await decision on reopening
A decision about reopening places of worship is expected to be made next week.
Religious leaders in Dubai were in talks with police officials on Thursday.
Mosques, churches and temples in the UAE have been closed to the public since March 16 as part of the plan to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
But with malls, cinemas and restaurants now open, religious leaders are expected to also get the green light in the coming days.
“We were in a Zoom meeting with Dubai Police this morning which went very well, and we are waiting now for confirmation from the government when we can reopen,” said Surender Singh Kandhari, chairman of the Gurunanak Darbar Sikh Temple in Jebel Ali.
“We are expecting the decision will be made by Sunday or Monday and that capacity will be limited to 30 per cent to 50 per cent when we do open again.”
Father Reinhold Sahner, parish priest at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Dubai, also attended the meeting and said officials were looking closely at how to manage numbers.
“We don’t know when we will reopen for sure but we will be ready and the police have been really helpful with information,” he said.
“One thing we will have to do is consider how we will manage attendance because we don’t want crowds arriving and then being turned away and having hundreds of people left standing outside.
“We are looking at introducing a ticketing system so people will have their seat in the church confirmed. They will know then if they should travel here or not.”
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments, which manages mosques in the UAE – excluding Dubai – said it had not yet decided when mosques would reopen.
“The decision will be issued by the emergency and crisis management committee and will be announced during one of the media briefings that take place every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 9.30pm,” an Awqaf representative said.
The Dubai Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department said it had also not yet made a decision.