RIYADH: Muslims performed Friday prayers in the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah for the first time since restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus were announced by Saudi Arabia. During the Friday sermon at the Grand Mosque, Sheikh Abdullah Awad Al-Juhani said that the emergency procedures being taken by the authorities to prevent the spread of the virus were in accordance with Sharia law. “The measures by the Kingdom to suspend Umrah to limit the spread of this epidemic are in line with texts of the Sharia,” he told worshippers. Worshippers take part in the Friday prayers at Makkah’s Grand Mosque on Mar. 6, 2020. (AFP) On Thursday, the Kingdom announced a raft of measures to protect worshippers from being infected with the virus and these included closing the two holy mosques an hour after the Isha prayer and opening them an hour before the Fajr prayer. Other measures include the temporary closure of the area surrounding the Kaaba where pilgrims walk around it seven times and between the hills of Safa and Marwah where they perform a ritual called Sa’ee. The Sacred Chamber in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah which houses the graves of Prophet Muhammad and his two companions will also be closed off to worshippers. The Kingdom suspended all Umrah pilgrimages on Wednesday over coronavirus fears.