Ministry of Islamic Affairs has announced it has eased restrictions on prayer congregations in the Greater Male' Region.
In a press statement, Islamic Ministry stated the government eased restrictions due to the low number of COVID-19 cases in the country. The Islamic ministry stated prayer goers are now allowed to form congregations without adhering to the social distancing rule, and that the ministry has stopped imposing the recitation of the Qunut Nazilah, which is a prayer recited in times of peril or adversity. However, the ministry instructed citizens to perform more Sunnah prayers as well as read the Quran and pray for the country to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry advised citizens to wear masks at the mosque and in public and to keep adhering to the guidelines set by the relevant authorities.
The government banned prayer congregations on May 19 after consultation with the Supreme Fatwa Council of Maldives and religious scholars, following the increase of COVID-19 cases in the Greater Male' Region. The government began allowing prayer congregations with social distancing in the Greater Male' Region on June 30.