Friday prayers resume in Tehran amid fears of new virus surge
Services were held some 20 months after coronavirus concerns forced Iranian Health Ministry officials to bar Muslim worshippers from attending Friday prayers.
Tehran held public prayers on Friday for the first time since coronavirus concerns in March 2020 prompted the Iranian government to halt the weekly religious service.
Worshippers attending the service at Tehran University were required to social distance and wear face masks. The resumption of Friday prayers comes as 400 Muslim scholars and religious leaders gathered in the Iranian capital for the 35th annual International Islamic Unity Conference, which began on Tuesday.
“Today is a very sweet day for us. We thank the Almighty for giving us back the Friday prayers after a period of restrictions and deprivation,” Reuters quoted Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari, the imam who led the service, as saying.
Iran has experienced the worst coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, with more than 5.8 million recorded cases since February 2020. On Tuesday, Health Minister Bahram Einollahi said he was “certain” that Iran would experience a sixth wave of the virus.
