As the holy month of Ramadan is about to start, many Arab countries are gearing up for the celebratory mode but with Covid-19 in the view, they are also taking all the necessary precautions. The UAE is no different in this department.

The Emergency, Crisis and Disaster management team has announced a few precautionary measures for people ahead of Ramadan. The team issued these guidelines on Thursday in Umm Al Quwain where it said that family gatherings or home visits during this time is banned owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

The families who want to have a get together or want to see their extended families during this time, should instead opt for online meets, stressed the team adding that distribution of meals among them is also discouraged.

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Another common practice is family and friends gathering at tents. Be it for commercial use or set up by the family, the crisis management team has banned this practice as they strongly advise people to stay away from the crowd and celebrate Ramadan at their homes.

In the view of Covid-19, distribution of Quran or other gifts are also not allowed. Even for restaurants, distribution of suhoor meals is not advised. As far as labor camps are concerned, they will be receiving their meals by the contracted restaurants but only if an authorised entity allows and coordinates it.

The meals, before distribution, will be checked whether they are packed or not in special boxes and bags. Those who seek to pay Zakat or donate in any sort of way, must use electronic mode for it.

Other than that, prayer rooms for women, other services and health facilities will remain closed on highways. The team stressed that Tarawih prayers will be conducted as per the previous step of instruction laid down by the authorities.

The earlier instructions had put a maximum limit of 30 minutes on the prayers and Quran recitation was allowed online only, which means that Quran was not supposed to be floating all around the mosques.