Saudi News Channel said that the Saudi authorities reopened the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah, after they were closed to sterilize them to prevent the spread of the new Corona virus.
It was not clear from the Saudi news report if it would allow visitors to return to the sites after their sterilization.
Saudi Arabia had decided to close the two sanctuaries between the evening and dawn prayers as part of the precautionary measures it had taken to counter the spread of Corona, which also included the closure of the circumambulation bowl around the Kaaba and the endeavor between Safa and Marwah throughout the period of temporarily suspending Umrah for citizens, residents and all residents of Makkah.
The authorities affirmed that it would not be permissible for i'tikaaf and bedding inside the two holy mosques, in addition to its decision to close the water bars of Zamzam and the old mosque in the Noble Sanctuary, including kindergarten and the closure of the Baqi cemetery.
And spread on social media photos and recordings that showed the Kaaba in the middle of the courtyard of the mosque on a single white floor surrounded by plastic obstacles, along with a group of security personnel and cleaners.
The virus now affects more than 80 countries, with a total number of infections over 95,000 globally and deaths over 3,200 cases so far.
So far, the Saudi authorities have announced five cases of people who have returned from Iran, where 107 people have died from the virus, and have transferred it to others.
Saudi Arabia held Iran responsible for spreading the virus in the Kingdom and demanded that it reveal the identities of the Saudi citizens who visited it recently, and said that its secrecy on the identities of the Saudi citizens who visited it secretly in an illegal way threatens public health not only in the Kingdom but in the whole world.