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COVID-19: Mosques to extend operating hours for private worship from 8 June

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - MARCH 15: General view of Masjid Jamae (Chulia) in Chinatown district on March 15, 2020 in Singapore. The mosque is one of the 10 mosques visited by confirmed Covid-19 cases after they returned from a large religious gathering from Malaysia. (Photo by Ore Huiying/Getty Images)
Masjid Jamae (Chulia) in Chinatown district in Singapore. (PHOTO: Ore Huiying/Getty Images)

SINGAPORE — Mosques in Singapore will continue their gradual reopening on Monday (8 June), when they will extend their operating hours for individual worship for the five daily prayers.

In a media release on Friday, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) said that 46 mosques will be opened from 5.30am to 7am as well as from 1pm to 9pm.

The rest of the mosques which are extending their hours will do so based on the demand from congregants. Some mosques with no demand will not offer dawn prayers, and will only open from 1pm to 9pm. Some mosques will close earlier as they are situated within small or non-residential areas with no demand for evening prayers.

Below are the full details of timings and prayer sessions at the 71 mosques in Singapore:

SOURCE: MUIS
SOURCE: MUIS
SOURCE: MUIS
SOURCE: MUIS
SOURCE: MUIS
SOURCE: MUIS
SOURCE: MUIS
SOURCE: MUIS

No congregational prayers yet

During this new phase of reopening – which MUIS calls Phase 1B of the COVID-19 post-circuit breaker period – mosques will still not organise congregational prayers, which includes Friday prayers.

The current limit on the number of individuals – five marked private prayer zones for up to five individuals, or up to five households with a maximum of five individuals per household – will continue in all mosques.

Precautionary measures that were put in place in Phase 1A will continue. This includes regular disinfection of common spaces, physical checks, temperature taking and ensuring all congregants who visit to register their details using the SafeEntry system.

Currently, mosques are opened from 1pm to 6pm for individual private worship, with the community urged to give priority to workers in essential services that are constantly on the move - taxi drivers, private hire drivers and delivery service personnel.

“This Phase 1A has been well-received by the community, who have complied with the safe management measures in place, bringing their own prayer items, wearing masks and following the guidance of mosque officers on-site,” said MUIS in the media release.

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