Manama: Qatar will reopen all mosques across the country for daily and Friday prayers (congregational) from September 1, the supreme committee for crisis management said in a statement on Thursday.
This would be part of the fourth and final phase of a plan aimed at gradually lifting coronavirus restrictions in the country, the statement said.
On June 15, the country started a phased plan to bring back normalcy.
Worshipers are requested to adhere to precautionary and preventive measures while going to mosques. As a precautionary measure, ablution places, bathrooms, and toilets will be closed.
As part of the final phase, Indoor gatherings are allowed but must be limited to 15 people, and 30 outdoors. Wedding parties will be permitted again subject to precautionary measure with maximum number of persons will be allowed indoor while 80 persons outdoors. During the party, only five persons are allowed in a table.
Beginning September 1, public transport including Doha metro will be resumed with 30 per cent capacity, Qatar news agency QNA said.
Another highlight of the relaxation was the decision to allow fans to attend sports activities- 20 percent of normal capacity for indoor events and 30 percent outdoors subject to measures to be announced by the authorities.
Private healthcare facilities are permitted to operate at their full capacity, the statement added.
Food courts in commercial complexes will be allowed to reopen with 30 percent of customers.
Prayer rooms in commercial complexes and shopping centers are allowed to reopen.
Cinema theaters are permitted to resume their activities with a maximum of 15 percent viewers while persons under the age of 18 are not permitted to enter.
Children are allowed to enter commercial complexes and shopping centers, including retail shops and restaurants.
The committee will continue to monitor the health situation in the country and decide whether to place further eases or re-impose more restrictions by mid-September, it said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry issued guidelines for malls and shopping centres regarding the final phase of lifting restrictions.
According to it, play areas, amusement parks and skating rinks will remain closed, and it is banned to hold any cultural or entertainment activities inside the malls or commercial centers.
Face masks are mandatory and visitors are required to wear them throughout the time they are in the mall, the guidelines added.
Qatar is the second worst-hit country by the number of coronavirus cases after Saudi Arabia. The country has reported a total of 117,988 coronavirus cases and 195 deaths to date. Qatar has one of the highest recovery rates in the world- over 97%. According to reports, Qatar has the world's highest per-capita coronavirus infection rate but one of the lowest death rates, thanks to extensive testing. Almost 600,000 people have been tested for the novel coronavirus, over a fifth of the population.
