Saudi Arabia to reopen mosques for Friday prayers as govt relaxes measures

In an official announcement, Saudi Arabia said that the mosques would reopen for Friday prayers this week as the Kingdom relaxes measures to stop the spread of COVID-19. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs said in a statement that it will open the worship premises to the public for the weekly prayers for at least 40 minutes from May 31 until June 20, except in Makkah, a State TV reported, citing the ministry of Islamic affairs. 

As of May 27, Saudi Arabia reportedly announced that it will lift the nationwide restrictions in three phases from June 21 onwards, however, haj and umrah pilgrimages will remain suspended until further notice. A circular issued to mosque staff by Sheikh Abdullatif bin Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Asheikh, the Islamic affairs minister, reportedly said that windows and doors of the mosques must be open at all times, and copies of the Qur’an must be temporarily withdrawn.

Furthermore, orders were issued for the imams to ensure that the worshippers avoided crowding while entering and exiting the mosques, and children under the age of 15 were not allowed to enter, according to state media reports. Worshippers must keep two meters apart and leave a row of space empty between each row while standing for offering the prayers, the circular reportedly listed. It also made it mandatory for the public to wear protective face masks at all times, and bring their own prayer mats.  

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Staff prohibited to do educational programs

As per new guidelines, the public was asked to perform ablution back home and not at the entrance of the mosque to avoid gatherers from overcrowding a spot. The circular to mosque staff also prohibited the educational programs and workshops for memorizing the Qur’an, adding, it should continue remotely online until further notice. Smaller mosques were allowed to open 15 minutes before the call to prayer and have been asked to close 10 minutes after they finish, as per state media reports.  

As of May 27, Saudi Arabia has over 76,726 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, as many as 411 have died so far from the disease. Saudi Arabia confirmed it would resume domestic flights within the Kingdom starting May 31 via its national airlines, according to a statement from the Kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, while lifting lockdown on June 21. 

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(Image Credit: AP)