Orthodox churches in Cairo and Alexandria are set to reopen on 3 August, Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of St. Mark Diocese announced on Saturday.
The announcement was made via the official social media pages for Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church.
The Orthodox Mass of the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, which took place on 12 July, was excluded from the previous nationwide closure of churches, with a limit of only 25 worshippers allowed to attend.
All health precautions will remain in place during Masses following the reopening of churches.
In a 13 July statement released by the Coptic Orthodox Church, Spokesperson Bolis Halim said the decision to delay the opening of churches in Cairo and Alexandria would remain in place until 3 August.
Halim added that all masses held every Sunday and Friday would remain suspended according to cabinet decisions taken amid concerns over the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
During a video-conference meeting on 27 June, the Standing Committee of the Holy Synod, chaired by Pope Tawadros II, decided to delay the re-opening of churches in Cairo and Alexandria until mid-July. This was attributed to a spike in coronavirus infection rates at the time.
In June, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced the reopening of houses of worship across Egypt. Precautionary measures will remain in place at all houses of worship to avoid the further spread of the coronavirus.
On 21 March, Egypt announced the closure of all churches and mosques amid efforts to curb the outbreak of the virus.
