Saudi Arabia fixes May 31 for reopening of mosques outside Mecca
The Saudi Arabian government says it will reopen mosques outside the city of Mecca from May 31.
Mosques across the kingdom had been shut to limit the spread of coronavirus.
The interior ministry, on Tuesday, said prayers will now be allowed to resume in all mosques outside Mecca from May 31.
It said the country will end its nationwide coronavirus curfew on June 21, except in Mecca.
The ministry said it will begin the gradual easing of the lockdown by lifting the curfew from 6am and 3pm between Thursday and Saturday.
On Monday, Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, Saudi Arabia’s health minister, described the decision as a new phase geared towards restoring normalcy.
“Starting from Thursday, the kingdom will enter a new phase (in dealing with the pandemic) and will gradually return to normal based on the rules of social distancing,” he said.
On February 27, Saudi Arabia suspended the issuance of visa to pilgrims wishing to perform Umrah (lesser hajj) over coronavirus.
Umrah is a pilgrimage performed by Muslims at any time of the year.
The pandemic has also affected preparations for this year’s hajj scheduled for late July.
It is quite uncertain if Muslim faithful across the world would be allowed to embark on hajj, a task which ought to be performed at least once in a lifetime.
Saudi Arabia has confirmed nearly 75,000 cases of COVID-19.
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