Commercial, industrial, and similar public shops must close their doors and stop all activities during Friday prayers for a period of one and a half hours, starting from the first call to prayer, according to Article (2) of Decision No. (80) of 2025 issued by HE the Minister of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) regarding the regulation of working hours.
This was published in the Official Gazette in its issue released Sunday. However, the obligation set forth in Article (2) does not apply to commercial, industrial, and similar public shops engaged in the following activities: Pharmacies; hotels and accommodation establishments; hospitals, health centres, and private medical clinics; fuel supply stations; commercial shops located at state outlets such as airports, land borders, and seaports; telecommunications companies (wired and wireless); operation of power and water generating machinery; bakeries; airline company offices located at airports and seaports; businesses that operate continuously without interruption under a shift system; passenger and cargo transport by land, sea, or air; any other activities determined by the competent authority, in accordance with public interest requirements. Article (1) states that commercial, industrial, and similar public shops may conduct their activities according to the working hours they determine, and they are allowed to operate throughout the day.
As an exception to the previous paragraph, and for reasons of public interest, the competent department at the ministry, after approval by the minister, may require some commercial, industrial, and similar public shops to operate according to specific working hours.
According to Article (3): All competent authorities, each within its jurisdiction, shall implement this decision, which shall come into effect on the day following its publication in the Official Gazette.
