Turkey reopens mosques for mass prayers

Turkish mosques reopened on Wednesday for mass prayers as the government further eased strict restrictions to stop the spread of the new coronavirus.

“Worshippers performed morning prayers at mosques on June 24 by keeping a social distance of 1.5 meters,” said Ali Arbash, head of the Turkish Religious Affairs Department.

“Worshippers must wear masks and maintain a distance,” he stressed.

Congregational prayer gatherings have been suspended throughout Turkey since March 16, as the outbreak began spreading there.

Turkey reported more than 190,000 positive cases of coronavirus as of Friday, with over 5,000 deaths.