Syrian Muslims wearing face masks listen to the Friday prayer sermon at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, following the authorities' decision to allow prayers on Fridays in disinfected mosques with strict social distancing and protection measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
 President Bashar al-Assad warned earlier this month of a "catastrophe" in war-battered Syria if the easing of lockdown measures against coronavirus is mishandled. AFP

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