Major mosques and churches re-opened in Cairo over the weekend after a more than five-month shutdown. This comes as the number of Egypt’s new COVID-19 cases rise again after weeks of decline.
Mosques, Churches in Egypt Emerge From Coronavirus Closure
![At the Al-Azhar Mosque, worshipers attend Friday prayers for the first time in more than five months, after getting their temperature checked, Aug. 28, 2020 in Cairo. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)](https://gdb.voanews.com/6a4ffba5-da30-404f-bb7d-9f7dc048e1f5_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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At the Al-Azhar Mosque, worshipers attend Friday prayers for the first time in more than five months, after getting their temperature checked, Aug. 28, 2020 in Cairo. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
![A man distributes prayer rugs and masks outside Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Aug. 28, 2020. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)](https://gdb.voanews.com/e65abd08-1f8f-4fb9-a9e2-d5587bff2148_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A man distributes prayer rugs and masks outside Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Aug. 28, 2020. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
![Bathrooms and washing rooms are closed at the mosque because of the pandemic, so worshippers improvise their traditional pre-prayer cleaning, Aug. 28, 2020 in Cairo. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)](https://gdb.voanews.com/f24f062c-715f-4a5f-b0e5-ba8d1161de13_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Bathrooms and washing rooms are closed at the mosque because of the pandemic, so worshippers improvise their traditional pre-prayer cleaning, Aug. 28, 2020 in Cairo. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
![Masks and some measure of social distancing are required inside the mosque, Aug. 28, 2020 in Cairo. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)](https://gdb.voanews.com/53d2d689-43ff-423a-a704-ecd8e973a8b8_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Masks and some measure of social distancing are required inside the mosque, Aug. 28, 2020 in Cairo. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)