The Kingdom of Jordan has reopened the country’s mosques for communal prayers.
According to the official announcement made on Friday 5 June, 2020, the country made the move to gradually ease the restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus spread.
The re-opening of worship places is coming after Jordan government had closed all mosques for more than 2 months amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus infection.
Muslims attended Friday prayers in the major mosques of large congregation including al Husseni mosque in downtown Amman on Friday under strict social distancing rules.
Officials have announced that effective from Saturday, cafes and hotels could re-open and domestic flights would resume.
However, schools, universities and cinemas remain closed while most public gatherings are still banned.
“Over 3,000 police were deployed to enforce strict compliance with the social distancing rules at the country’s 7,000 mosques on Friday,” officials said.
The Arab country of nearly 10.5 million population still maintains protective rules against COVID-19 outbreak, including wearing of masks.
In some mosques, the floor was marked to designate the spots where worshippers could lay down their prayer rugs at a safe distance from their neighbours.
So far, Jordan authorities have arrested several people who violated the strict lockdown rules since mid-March, including clerics for flouting the ban on prayers inside mosques.
