The Russian Orthodox Church in the Emirates has reopened its doors for believers

Back in August, houses of prayer for representatives of non-Muslim confessions in the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi, began to operate again, albeit with the observance of a number of restrictions. Now public services, after an almost six-month break, have resumed in the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Philip the Apostle in Sharjah - the only one in this country under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church.

According to the portal 'Russian Emirates', believers will be able to attend services subject to a number of instructions issued by the government of the emirate of Sharjah. These include mandatory temperature control and passage through the disinfectant frame at the entrance, the presence of a mask, adherence to a one and a half meter social distance, a strictly separate approach to communion. In addition, individual confession and a common meal before and after church services, mass meetings and educational lectures in churches, as well as services on Fridays remain prohibited. Visits to the temple by people under 12 and over 60 years old and those who test positive for COVID-19 are also prohibited.
The opening of temples, houses of prayer and other meeting places where people gather to pray together to the Lord God are part of a program to revive social and economic activity in the UAE. Moreover, the duration of the services should not exceed two hours. People with chronic and respiratory diseases are not yet able to attend places of prayer in any of the country's settlements.