Coronavirus: Kuwait to reopen mosques in quiet areas after three-month closures

The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs said mosques in sparsely-populated areas will receive worshippers on Wednesday

The As-Sadeeqa Fatimatul Zahra Mosque in Kuwait city.

Kuwait's Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has given the green light to mosques in some areas to reopen from Wednesday after almost three months of closure because of the novel coronavirus.

Minister Dr Fahad Al Afasi said mosques in sparsely-populated areas will receive worshippers for the five daily prayers starting with the noon prayer on Wednesday (June 10).

However, he said the weekly Friday noon sermon and prayers will only be performed at the Grand Mosque in Kuwait City and will be broadcast on official Kuwait TV.

Only the mosque’s preacher and staff will attend this prayer, the minister said.

Kuwait recorded 717 new cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, taking the country's infection tally to 31,848.

The country has recruited 300 Cuban doctors and nurses to tackle the pandemic, Dr Abdul Rahman Al Mutairi, assistant undersecretary for technical affairs at the ministry of health, said.

The Cuban doctors and nurses will work in intensive care wards.

On Sunday, coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia passed 100,000, the official Saudia TV channel said, amid the easing of restrictions.

The number of cases in the kingdom have reached 101,914, with 712 deaths.

The health ministry confirmed 3,045 new cases and 36 further deaths in the past 24 hours.

Official daily cases passed the 3,000 threshold for the first time on Saturday.