The Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's Mecca was largely empty of worshippers on the first day of Ramadan yesterday as authorities closed the holy site as part of measure to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
In comments marking the start of Ramadan, Saudi Arabia's King Salman, who is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, lamented the need for social distancing during the holy month.
“It pains me to welcome the glorious month of Ramadan under circumstances that forbid us from prayers in mosques,” he said, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
Prayers from inside the mosque at Mecca on the first evening of Ramadan on Thursday were restricted to clerics, security staff and cleaners, in a ceremony broadcast live on television.
In a rare occurrence in Islam’s 1,400-year history, Mecca’s Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina - the religion’s two holiest locations - will be closed to the public during the fasting period.
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