Jeddah: As many as 32 mosques have been temporarily shut in Saudi Arabia in the past three days after several worshippers tested positive for COVID-19, local media reports said.
On Wednesday, ten mosques were temporarily shut after one died and fifteen worshippers tested positive for the COVID-19, the reports said.
The decision to shut the mosques was taken after the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance intensified field inspections across the Kingdom.
The surging numbers of COVID-19 cases have also led the authorities to shut dine-in restaurants, cancel weddings and postpone cultural and religious events.
Earlier, the Kingdom had suspended entry by banning flights from 20 countries including India, United Arab Emirates (UAE), United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK).
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia reported as many as 369 new cases and five deaths. Maximum cases were recorded in Riyadh with about 173 cases, followed by 85 cases in the Eastern Province, Makkah with about 48, eleven in Asir, five in Madinah, and four each in Jazan and Najran.
As of now there as many as 2,573 active cases in Saudi Arabia, out of which 417 are critical. The country’s overall death toll has reached 6415 in number.