Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia says Ramadan prayers likely to be at home

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Al Sheikh said Muslim prayers during Ramadan and for the subsequent Eid Al Fitr feast should be performed at home

Saudi Arabia , home to Islam's two holiest cities, has said that Ramadan prayers are likely to be held at home this year due to coronavirus. AFP

Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Al Sheikh, the highest religious authority in the country, said that Muslim prayers during Ramadan and for the subsequent Eid Al Fitr feast should be performed at home if the coronavirus outbreak continues, Okaz newspaper reported on Friday.

"Ramadan's Taraweeh (evening) prayer can be performed at home if it cannot be performed at mosques due to the preventive measures taken to fight the spread of coronavirus," he said in response to a question, adding that same applies for Eid prayers, according to the paper.

The holy month of Ramadan is set to begin next week.

The country had issued a series of strict guidelines to help control the spread of the disease after it recorded 762 new cases and four deaths on Friday.

Saudi Arabia now has 7,142 active cases and 87 deaths.

The Health Ministry announced that 59 individuals have recovered during the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,049 cases.

More than 50 per cent of the 762 cases came as a result of medical testing on foreign workers, the ministry said.

“We are currently reaching out to the community and conducting mass testing within the most populated areas to control the transmission of the virus,” the ministry spokesman said during a press conference.

“These efforts have contributed to the discovery of approximately half of today’s acass and will increase the number of confirmed cases in the coming days,” said the spokesman.

Kuwait reported Friday 134 new cases and two more deaths.

The country now has a total of 1,685 infected cases and five deaths, health ministry spokesman Abdullah Al Sanad said during a press conference.

The two fatalities were a Kuwaiti citizen and an Iranian resident, Mr Al Sanad said.

Three patients have recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 258 across the country. The recovered patients will be transferred to a rehabilitation ward in the hospitals that they are in, he said.

It comes as Qatar reported its highest single day increase of infected cases.

The health ministry said that 560 people were infected during the last 24 hours, bringing total number to 4,663.

The ministry has also announced the recovery of 49 cases, taking the total to 464.

No new deaths were reported.

Oman said on Friday that 50 new cases were discovered during the last 24 hours, bringing the total amount to 1,069.

They include 26 Omanis and 24 expats.

The country has suffered five deaths since the outbreak of the disease in the region and 176 recoveries.

Authorities have urged the public to adhere to the measures imposed on them such as self-isolation and social distancing.