Minister of Religious Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa announced that manufacture will start on disinfectant booths to be placed at mosque entrances to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
The ministry has started to equip mosques as part of its plan to sanitise and continuously sterilise areas of worship, Gomaa said in the Saturday statement. This comes in addition to mosque carpets and furniture being renewed.
During the holy month of Ramadan, the ministry has permitted the broadcast of Quran readings from mosques before the Maghrib and Fajr prayers, which mark the beginning and end of the fasting time.
Egypt’s mosques have been closed to daily prayers and Friday congregations since 21 March as part of government measures to combat the coronavirus. Tarawih prayers, which are special evening prayers performed during Ramadan, were also suspended this year, due to the outbreak.
The Ministry of Religious Endowments had earlier announced that it will produce a full line of protective face masks that can be worn against the coronavirus. The full face polycarbonate masks, which will be sold for EGP 50, were designed help people avoid external hand-to-face contact.
The government renewed the night-time curfew for another two weeks on Thursday, with the curfew hours shortened to start from 9pm instead of 8pm.
