Iran to reopen many mosques as lockdown eases

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says mosques will reopen across large parts of the country tomorrow, after they were closed in early March amid the Middle East’s deadliest novel coronavirus outbreak.

Rouhani says 132 counties, around one third of the country’s administrative divisions, would “reopen their mosques as of tomorrow.”

“Social distancing is more important than collective prayer,” he adds, arguing that Islam considers safety obligatory, while praying in mosques is only “recommended.”

The targeted counties are “low-risk,” Rouhani says in a televised meeting of the country’s virus taskforce.

— AFP