Riyadh: Saudi Arabia on Thursday reimposed social distancing measures atthe Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah, after recording the highestnumber of infections in months.
Workers have returned floor markings removed on October 17 to guide peopleto social distance in and around the Grand Mosque — which is built aroundthe Holy Kaaba.
Saudi authorities said they will reimpose “social distancing requirementsbetween worshippers and pilgrims” at the Grand Mosque, without specifyingwhether a capacity has been set.
Earlier, the kingdom had said social distancing and masks were againrequired in both indoor and outdoor venues.
The kingdom of approximately 34 million people has so far recorded morethan 554,000 coronavirus cases, including 8,874 deaths, the highest numberof fatalities among the Gulf Arab countries.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia recorded 744 cases, the highest number sincemid-August.
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The Covid-19 pandemic hugely disrupted Muslim pilgrimages, which areusually key revenue earners for the kingdom, bringing in some $12 billionannually.
The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar — have been recordingtheir highest numbers of new cases in months.
Despite having the world’s highest vaccination rate, the UAE has recordedthe largest number of infections among Gulf countries at more than 757,000.
On Wednesday, it recorded 2,234 infections, the highest number since June.
