Saudi Arabia announces to open Prophet Mosque gradually to people

Saudi Arabia has announced the gradual opening of the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina to the public.

According to the details, the doors of all mosques in Saudi Arabia, except Mecca, will be open to worshipers from May 31 (Sunday) under a curfew imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Yesterday, the Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, after completing his visit to inspect all the necessary precautions, announced that the mosques of Saudi Arabia are ready to welcome the worshipers.

Abdul Latif bin Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh had said that during the inspection visits we saw that the preparations to reopen mosques have been completed.

Meanwhile, according to a report, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman, approved the opening of the Prophet’s Mosque from Sunday.

In this regard, the General Presidency of the Affairs of the Holy Shrines has made preparations to reopen the -Masjid Al-Nabawi as a precautionary measure and has limited the number of worshipers to 40% at a time.

Worshipers will be allowed to enter the mosque from the time of Fajr on Sunday (Shawwal 8) morning.

In addition, the carpets laid in the courtyard of the Prophet’s Mosque will be removed and prayers will be offered on the floor.

According to the information provided on the official Twitter account of the two holy shrines, the Prophet’s Mosque will be opened to the public.

NEWS UPDATE – THE PROPHET'S MOSQUE TO BE OPENED TO PUBLIC pic.twitter.com/PDKxVw9jZe

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— 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 (@HaramainInfo) May 30, 2020

According to the statement, all the carpets have been removed and prayers will be offered on the marble floor of Masjid Nabawi.

Only the courtyard and extension of the Prophet’s Mosque would be opened for worshipers.

In addition, the public or worshipers will not have access to the Holy Shrine of the Prophet.

It said that the worshipers should observe precautionary measures and wear masks when entering the Prophet’s Mosque.

The statement said that a plan has been prepared to sterilize and wash the floor of Masjid-e-Nabawi after each prayer.

At the same time, the parking fee of Masjid Nabawi will be paid through the electronic application of smartphones and 50% parking will be enabled.

It added that the ban on breaking the fast at the Prophet’s Mosque and its grounds remained in place, while only 40% of the mosque’s capacity would allow worshipers to enter.

According to the statement, the distribution of water bottles in Masjid Nabawi and its compound is still closed.

Note that on May 26, Saudi Arabia announced the easing of lockdown and the partial resumption of activities in the country.

From May 31, restrictions on movement and other activities in all cities in the state except Mecca will be lifted.

Lockdown will be relaxed from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., but curfews will remain in place at other times, while Mecca will remain under lockdown for 24 hours.

According to the report, curfew will be lifted in the entire state on June 21 and congregational prayers will be allowed in Masjid-ul-Haram in Mecca.

Until then, social distance guidelines will continue to be implemented and gatherings of more than 50 people will be banned.

Authorities also allowed attendance at ministries, government agencies and private sector companies to resume their official activities.

However, all employment sectors where social distance rules are difficult to enforce, such as beauty salons, barbershops and sports and health clubs, cinemas, etc., will remain closed.

Saudi Arabia has closed Umrah pilgrims and international flights until further notice.

It should be noted that the government of Saudi Arabia had imposed a lockdown to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in early March, which was tightened by mid-April and curfew was imposed in several cities, including Mecca.

The Saudi government has also temporarily suspended Umrah as a precautionary measure, while the Saudi government has not yet signed an agreement with any other country regarding the Hajj, and it is thought that the Hajj may not take place this year but it is too early to say anything in this regard.

So far, more than 81,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Saudi Arabia, while 458 have succumbed to the virus and more than 57,000 have recovered.

Also Read: Coronavirus lockdown eased in Dubai, Saudi Arabia