Saudi authorities have withdrawn the rule requiring social distancing during prayers at the holy Kaaba in Mecca. After the restriction was lifted on Sunday, 17 October, local time, worshippers were seen praying shoulder to shoulder at the mosque, as in normal times.

Social distancing and various other restrictions had been imposed at the mosque after the coronavirus pandemic began. The floor markings guiding social distancing in the Kaaba courtyard have also been removed.

The official Saudi Press Agency reported that worshippers are being allowed into the Kaaba area in line with the decision to relax precautionary measures.

Photos and footage from Sunday morning showed worshippers standing side by side in prayer, the first time this has been seen since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out last year. For the first time in a long while, the imam of Masjid al-Haram was heard telling worshippers before prayer in the Kaaba courtyard: "Stand and straighten the rows, fill the empty spaces."

Although social distancing has been lifted, the authorities said worshippers must be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus and must wear masks in the Kaaba courtyard area.

Umrah can be performed at any time in Saudi Arabia, but Hajj is performed only once a year, and millions of people travel to Saudi Arabia from around the world for it every year. Because of coronavirus infections, foreigners were barred from Hajj last year, when the authorities allowed only 60,000 Saudi citizens to perform it.

More than 547,000 people in Saudi Arabia have been infected with the coronavirus and 8,760 have died.

Source: Samprotik Deshkal. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.