Mosques in Makkah are to open their doors to worshippers, beginning with the predawn (Fajr) prayer on Sunday. Mosques in the holy city had been closed for approximately three months due to measures put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the Kingdom.

The Saudi Gazette reports that the Ministry of Islamic Affairs has prepared all 1560 mosques in Makkah Province to open. Conditions such as single-use prayer mats, adequate spacing between rows, social distancing between worshippers, have been made mandatory.

The “Preparing Mosques” Initiative had seen volunteers support the efforts of anxious authorities to ready the mosques for worshippers in the districts and neighbourhoods of Makkah, in line with coronavirus precautionary directives. This included measures such as placing spacing stickers on mosque carpets and will include the educating of worshippers on safety controls and conditions, when congregational prayers resume in the mosques. Collecting copies of the Qur’aan from the shelves in the mosques was also one of the duties of volunteers.

Mosques across Saudi Arabia had reopened for congregational prayers, late last month, except in Makkah, as part of a phased plan for a gradual return to normal.

Umm Muhammed Umar