Mass night prayers during Ramadan (Taraweeh) will be permitted in some mosques with the adoption of preventive measures against the coronavirus, the state-run MENA agency quoted Nouh Essawy, the endowments under-secretary for mosque affairs, as saying on Saturday.
The mosques allowed to hold Taraweeh prayers are those the state permitted to open for Friday noon prayers due to their strict adoption of preventive measures to curb the spread of the pandemic.
With Ramadan beginning in April, Essawy said a ban has not been lifted on the organization of the holy month's charity Iftar banquets nor on solitary retreat in mosques, known as itikaf.
Shrines, community centers, and bathrooms in mosques will remain closed, he added.
Taraweeh prayers, considered the most spiritual prayers held during Ramadan, were banned last year as Egypt had stopped in March all congregational religious activities nationwide to curb the spread of the virus in the overpopulated country.
Taraweeh prayers in Ramadan 2020 were performed by a mosque imam and two mosque workers, and broadcast on Al-Quran Al-Kareem radio station.
However, Essawy said it is preferable for worshippers to pray Taraweeh at home amid the pandemic crisis.
Source: Al-Ahram Online
