- Saudi Arabia has suspended daily obligatory prayers in all the mosques in the kingdom
- The new directive, according to the Saudi authority, is to prevent the spread of coronavirus among the people
- At the moment, 171 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Saudi Arabia but no death has been recorded
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, March 17, said that all mosques would no longer be open for the five daily Islamic prayers as well as the weekly Friday prayers.
Reuters reports that this was an exceptional move to limit the spread of the coronavirus which has infected 171 people in the kingdom.
Legit.ng gathered that the kingdom, however, said that mosques would continue to issue the ritual call to prayer.
The decision seeks to direct worshippers to pray at home but does not affect prayers in Mecca’s Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, it added.
Channels TV reports that the Arab world’s biggest economy has shut down cinemas, malls and restaurants, halted flights and suspended the year-round Umrah pilgrimage in a bid to contain the deadly virus.
More than 1,000 cases of the virus have been recorded so far across the six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Reuters also added that Saudi Arabia, which chairs the Group of 20 major economies, announced an extraordinary virtual leaders summit next week “to put forward a coordinated set of policies to protect people and safeguard the global economy.”
The US-allied Gulf Arab states have registered more than 1,000 infections, many linked to travel to neighboring Iran, which is an epicentre for the outbreak in the Middle East.
A coronavirus patient undergoing treatment
Source: Facebook
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that as part of its plans to ensure Nigeria contains the spread of coronavirus, the federal government banned all travels outside the country by officials of ministries, departments, and agencies until further notice.
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The presidential task force also advised Nigerians to cancel all travels abroad especially to all high-risk countries.
The task force urged Nigerians to continue to maintain a high level of sanitation and hygiene and respiratory etiquette, maintain social distance and avoiding crowded areas.
Also, a former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, advised the federal government to immediately put in place measures to protect the economic well being of Nigeria and its people as coronavirus ravages the world.
Attiku stated that deliberate steps should be taken to ease the cost of doing business in Nigeria and reduce the cost of living.
In another report, Apostle Johnson Suleman of the Omega Fire Ministries International advised his congregation not to read anything that talks about coronavirus, saying it is the fear of the virus is more dangerous than the virus.
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