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Women worship in a separate part of mosques, away from the men, on April 16, 2015 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Although the rights of women are changing in Saudia Arabia, many challenges remain. Some women are happy with the pace of change, and others are frustrated. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times) Image Credit: TNS
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Dubai: Saudi religious authorities have temporarily closed 71 mosques across the Kingdom over a rise in coronavirus infections due to non-compliance with precautionary measures and preventive protocols.

In a statment Minister of Islamic affairs, Abdul Latif Bin Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh said "The failure of these mosques to abide by preventive protocols has led to more COVID-19 cases being reported".

The mosques will be completely sterilised during the temporary closure, Al Sheikh added.

The shutdown of such a number of mosques is the first since Saudi Arabia reopened on Sunday, May 31, over 900,000 mosques across the kingdom, except in Mecca, in line with its plan to gradually return to normal life.