Live from Makkah – Masjid al Haram in Saudi Arabia operated at full capacity Sunday for the first time since the COvid pandemic. Muslim worshippers were able to pray shoulder-to-shoulder for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Workers removed floor markings that guide people to social distance in and around the Grand Mosque, which is built around the Ka’aba, towards which Muslims around the world pray.
“This is in line with the decision to ease precautionary measures and to allow pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque at full capacity,” reported the official Saudi Press Agency.
Inside Masjid al Haram
Hosting the pilgrimages is a matter of prestige for Saudi rulers, for whom the custodianship of Islam’s holiest sites is their most powerful source of political legitimacy.
Umrah for pilgrims a reality after Covid pandemic
Pictures and footage on Sunday morning showed people praying side by side, making straight rows of worshippers that are formations revered in performing Muslim prayers, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold last year.
While social distancing measures were lifted, the authorities said visitors must be fully vaccinated against coronavirus and must continue to wear masks on mosque grounds.
The umrah can be undertaken at any time and usually draws millions from around the globe, as does the annual hajj, in which able-bodied Muslims who have the means must perform at least once in their lifetime.
In July, only around 60,000 inoculated residents were allowed to take part in a vastly scaled-down form of the annual hajj.
The COVID-19 pandemic hugely disrupted both Muslim pilgrimages, which are usually key revenue earners for the kingdom that rake in a combined $12 billion annually.
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