Saudi ministry eases Covid restrictions on mosques

The religious affairs ministry of Saudi Arabia has announced on Sunday the partial lifting of Covid-19 precautionary measures from mosques across the Kingdom.

The Dawah and Guidance department of their ministry of Islamic Affairs has recently reopened a number of mosques after temporarily shutting them down for sanitization purposes.

A number of Covid cases were earlier found amongst worshippers which led to their temporary closure.

BREAKING NEWS

Saudi Arabia orders to reverse partial precautionary measures of COVID-19 from Mosques accross the Kingdom

1. Return of Mushafs (Quran) to the Mosques
2. Removing time limitations between Adhan and Iqamah and of the Jumuah Khutbah
3. Return of lessons in Mosques

— Haramain Sharifain (@hsharifain) June 20, 2021

According to their local news outlet, seven mosques have been reopened in the Kingdom. One in Makkah, six in Riyadh, three in Baha and Jazan, and a one mosque each in Najran and Asir.

According to a tweet on Haramain Sharifain, the new measures will allow:

Return of Mushafs (Quran) to the mosques
Removing time limitations between adhan (or azan) and Iqamah and of the Jumuah Khutbah
Lessons can be conducted in mosques

Separately today from the Kingdom, the Saudi pilgrimage ministry announced it has received about 500,000 pilgrimage forms for Hajj this year out of which it will decide the final list of 60,000 on the 15th of 11th Islamic calendar month Dhu al-Qi’dah (June 25).

Those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and who have not been to Hajj before will be prioritized, the ministry confirmed.

It said the requests can be submitted by the candidates until the 13th of Dhu al-Qi’dah (June 23) after which it will close and the result will be announced in two days after that.