Kaaba Mataf reopens after sterilization

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Kaaba Mataf reopens after sterilization

The Mataf is reopened only for non-Umrah worshippers and for those who are residing in Makkah, SPA said

Saturday March 7, 2020 10:48 PM, ummid.com News Network

Makkah: The Saudi authorities Saturday reopened Mataf - the area of circulation around Kaaba in Makkah, after sterilization operation.

In a late evening release Saturday the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said the Mataf is reopened only for non-Umrah worshippers and for those who are residing in Makkah.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) did not give more details. However, talking to ummid.com, eyewitnesses said, only part of the Mataf is opened for Tawaf and prayers.

"The authorities have formed two rings around the Kaaba. The areas inside the two rings are still restricted for worshippers. Tawaf is allowed only in the part of Mataf area outside the outer ring", a worshipper told ummid.com.

Saudi Arabia had announced Thursday the closure of Mataf for prayers for sterilization. It had also closed Makkah Grand Mosque and Masjid e Nabawi in Madina during the night till Fajr prayers.

Earlier, the Kingdom had also imposed a temporary ban on the entry of Umrah pilgrims. It is not clear for how long the ban on Umrah pilgrims will continue.

These steps were taken to contain the spread of Coronavirus - the deady disease which first started from China but now has taken into its grips more than 80 countries of the world.

Following the closure of Mataf Thursday, the Friday prayer was offered in the inner courtyard and the building area of the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Empty Mataf was a rare scene when worshippers offered the weekly special prayer not near the Kaaba but inside the building.

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