Worshipers lined up in the two holy mosques of Mecca and the Prophet to perform the dawn prayer today, Sunday, for the first time in a year and a half, without asking them to adhere to the social distancing that was in place to limit the spread of the Corona virus.
This comes after the decision of the Saudi authorities to return the Two Holy Mosques, starting from today, Sunday, to receiving worshipers at their full capacity.
Saudi activists on social media circulated video clips of the moment when the Imams of the Two Holy Mosques directed the worshipers before the dawn prayer today to stack and close the gaps and spaces, unlike what was the case for many months of demanding social distancing in light of the Corona pandemic.
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Worshipers and Umrah pilgrims flock to the first prayer after the total increase in the capacity of the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
— Presidency of Two Holy Mosques Affairs (@ReasahAlharmain) October 17, 2021
The account of the Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques on Twitter also published pictures of worshipers and pilgrims, showing the return of the tight rows again to the Two Holy Mosques, accompanied by the phrase "Stand up, establish your rows and consolidate."
Prior to that, the officials in charge of the affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, yesterday evening, Saturday evening, removed the physical distancing stickers inside them.
The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Mosques also removed the barriers surrounding the Kaaba, according to the videos it published.
And in March 2020, the Saudi authorities decided, for the first time in their history, to close the courtyard of the Kaaba and to put barriers around it as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of Corona.
This was accompanied by a decision by the authorities to suspend presence and prayer in the squares of the Two Holy Mosques.
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Officially.. Saudi Arabia is fully returning to normal life from this moment and canceling social distancing pic.twitter.com/keukxMej0W
— Mubasher News (@mobashernewss) October 16, 2021
Subsequently, the authorities decided to return the prayers in the Two Holy Mosques, but with the establishment of strict precautionary controls to prevent the virus and with limited numbers of worshipers, they gradually rose in stages.
And the day before yesterday, Friday, Saudi Arabia announced the return of the two holy mosques in Mecca and Medina, starting from today, Sunday, to receiving worshipers with their full capacity, while easing health precautions, including canceling physical distance between worshipers, and not committing to wearing a muzzle in the open spaces of the Two Holy Mosques while keeping it in closed places, and stipulating Immunization with two doses of Corona.