UAE announces Sunday, August 23 as holiday for Hijri New Year

The UAE announced on Thursday a holiday for Sunday, August 23 to mark the beginning of the Islamic (Hijri) New Year.

The Federal Authority For Government Human Resources announced the holiday on Twitter, in a post explaining that August 23 would be a holiday for the public sector and federal government workers.

The holiday will mean employees can enjoy a three-day weekend, with work to resume on Monday, August 24.

The Islamic New Year, also known as the Hijri New Year, marks the beginning of new Hijri Year and is observed by Muslims around the world as the first day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar.

No announcement had been made for private sector workers from the UAE as of Thursday morning.

The news comes as the country continues its fight against the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday, authorities said that 72,630 coronavirus tests had been conducted over the previous last 24 hours, discovering 246 new cases, although no new deaths were reported.

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