MADINAH — Worshipers performed communal Fajr prayers early Sunday in mosques across the Kingdom for the first time since March as coronavirus restrictions in the Kingdom began to ease. Hundreds of social media users took to several platforms to share videos and images of Saudi citizens and residents praying in mosques around the country for the first time in months. The Prophet's Mosque here reopened with a limit of 40 percent capacity on Sunday with dozens of believers gathering to offer congregational prayers, local press reports said. Medical professionals took the temperature of each individual before they entered the mosque as a precautionary measure. The decision to reopen mosques, except in Makkah, comes as part of the Kingdom's phased plan to ease coronavirus restrictions and eventually return to "normal" conditions. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs said on Sunday that 90,000 mosques were disinfected and ready to welcome Muslims. The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques issued several precautionary measures on Friday that will be enforced inside the Prophet's Mosque including the removal of all carpets and asking worshipers to bring their own prayer mats. The authority also advised Muslims to bring their own mats when they visit any mosque, maintain social distancing measures, and wear face masks.
