Over 100 unlicensed prayer areas closed in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi - The municipality explained that all these prayer areas were created without official licences from the competent authorities.

More than 100 unlicensed casual prayer areas (musallahs) in Abu Dhabi's industrial areas have been shut down for posing a threat to the safety and health of workers.

The small open places, usually located near warehouses or workshops, were found in poor hygiene and inappropriate environment, and were being used by small groups of workers for daily prayers despite a nationwide ban on gatherings as part of precautionary measure to containing the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

The prayer areas were identified by the Abu Dhabi City Municipality in cooperation with Tadweer during an inspection campaign in the Musaffah and Mafraq industrial areas to crack down on premises that don't meet safety and health standards.

Among the closed down prayer places, 99 were in Musaffah industrial area while two were in Mafraq industrial city.

The municipality explained that all these prayer areas were created without official licences from the competent authorities and did not meet the appropriate health and service requirements. The open prayer areas posed a threat to the health of workers since they gathered in small groups without maintaining social distancing, municipal officials said, adding that it was important for the workers to avoid gatherings.

The municipality has urged all businesses and people in the industrial areas to adhere to the current precautionary measures which were put in place by authorities to contain the spread of Covid-19.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi