Dubai: Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down 11 mosques in five regions across the kingdom following an outbreak of COVID-19 infections among worshipers and mosque employees, local media reported.
The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance of Saudi Arabia also reopened 11 mosques after conducting comprehensive sanitization and making them ready again to receive the worshippers amid strict safety standards.
The latest shutdowns bring to 441 the total number of mosques closed in the kingdom over a period of 54 days. As many as 416 of the closed mosques have already been reopened following comprehensive sanitization and stricter implementation of COVID-19 precautions.
Positive cases
The ministry stated that the closed mosques include four in the Qassim region after detecting four COVID-19 cases among worshipers, three mosques in the Mecca following the detection of three positive cases, in addition to two mosques Riyadh, one mosque in the northern border region and one mosque in Al Jawf.
The ministry has repeatedly reminded worshippers of the importance of abiding by anti-virus precautions while in mosques including the wearing of face masks, using the personal prayer rugs and observing distancing among themselves.
