Several churches in the UAE announced temporary closures and the suspension of Mass from Thursday to curb the spread of Covid-19.
In notices to worshippers, St Andrew's Church in Abu Dhabi and St Michael's Church in Sharjah said all group services and activities were postponed until further notice.
Some churches announced they would remain open for individual prayer.
In support of the UAE government's efforts to contain the outbreak, the Rev Canon Andy Thompson, senior chaplain at St Andrew's Church, said its decision to close completely was voluntary.
“St Andrew’s Church is home to more than 60 congregations numbering several thousand worshippers gathering in the same space every week,” he said in a circular.
“Against the backdrop of schools, universities and conferences being closed down in the UAE, we have decided to voluntarily close as we cannot meet the standards required to keep people safe.
“We have a duty of care for all of these groups and we take this responsibility seriously.”
In a notice sent by St Michael's Church in Sharjah, Father Varghese Chempoly informed parishioners that all group prayer gatherings were suspended from Thursday.
But he said the church grounds would remain open for those wishing to conduct personal prayers. "As per the instructions received from the Sharjah Ruler's office, please be informed that all the services, including the celebration of the Holy Mass and other sacraments, are suspended from Thursday until further notice," he said.
Speaking to The National on Thursday, a parish staff member said they would closely monitor the situation in the coming days.
“For now, the Sharjah government office has advised we suspend group services only,” he said. “People are still free to visit the church to make individual offerings but we are trying to avoid large crowds within the premises.”
On Wednesday, a notice signed by Edwin Maria Arasu, director of His Highness Special Projects at the Sharjah Ruler’s office, was sent out to all 10 churches in the emirate urging them to suspend all group services.
The move was "part of the precautionary and preventive measures taken to reduce the possibility transmission of the coronavirus disease", it said.
The notice was sent to St Martin’s Anglican Church, Sharjah Union Church, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Sharjah Worship Centre, among others.
On Thursday, Masses went ahead as normal in Dubai.
But church leaders said they were following “strict guidelines set out by the Dubai Health Authority” to protect worshippers against the virus.
At St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Dubai's Jebel Ali, parish priest Father Reinhold Sahner said the church had "stepped up cleaning operations" in light of the virus.
“We have fitted extra hand-sanitiser units throughout the church and we have a team of people on-hand that are cleaning the area with disinfectants after every service,” he said.
“Besides that, we are running our normal services and Masses as scheduled. We are trying to reduce the running time of each Mass to about 40 minutes instead of one hour, but as yet, we have not been advised to cancel any group services.
“We have cancelled all kinds of preparatory prayers like the rosary and have asked people to perform them at home.”
Father Sahner said that as per the directives of Bishop Paul Hinder, staff have urged worshippers to stay home if they are ill. Running three English language services daily during weekdays, five on a Friday and four on a Saturday, he said they have encouraged people to try to spread out their attendance to avoid big crowds.
“We have witnessed a slight decrease of about 10 to 15 per cent in visitors as a result of the virus,” he said. “But with Masses in Sharjah now cancelled, we might see an influx of people coming through – so we will have to monitor that.”
St Mary's Catholic Church in Oud Metha sent out an advisory to churchgoers outlining the steps it was taking to safeguard visitors against the virus.
“For the time being, regular Masses will go on,” the circular read.
“But all [worshippers] are requested to leave the church immediately thereafter.
"All [other] prayer meetings in all church facilities remain cancelled until further notice.
“All are requested not to touch and kiss the holy pictures in the church.”
On March 8, Bishop Hinder, the Pope's most senior representative in the Arabian Peninsula, told churches to empty their holy water fonts and make changes to the giving of communion to avoid spreading the illness.
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MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 1 (Carroll 82')
Leicester City 2 (Maddison 55', Tielemans 72')
Man of the match James Maddison (Leicester)
The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
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About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
SHAITTAN
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How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
THE%20SPECS
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Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
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5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
THE BIO
BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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