The National Command and Operation Centre on Thursday issued fresh directives for mosques and places of worship in light of the rising corona virus cases across the country.

The NCOC said only vaccinated people will be allowed to pray in mosques and other places of worship and must be masked the whole time. They will also be required to maintain distance of 6 feet. Mosques have also been asked to remove carpets and prayer mats.

They also recommended praying in open spaces where there is adequate ventilation. The NCOC suggested Friday sermons be shortened.

The NCOC has recommended the elderly and other immunocompromised individuals to stay home for prayers. They recommended people do the wuzu in their homes

An account called NCOC meetings tweeted a poster with the new directives.

In its daily tweet documenting the number of cases of the last 24 hours, NCOC data on Friday showed the positivity rate to be nearly 13%, a rate that is growing rapidly as is the spread of the omicron variant in the country.