"According to recommendations of the competent authorities, the attendance of [the two holy mosques] for five-times-a-day prayers and the Tarawih [prayer performed only during the Ramadan month] is suspended for worshipers in order to protect people's health", the directorate said on Monday.
On 17 April, the country's grand mufti, Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, said that Ramadan's prayers could only be performed at home due to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease.
In March, the Saudi religious authorities banned prayers in mosques, including weekly Friday prayer, following restrictions issued by the country's government.
To date, the Saudi health authorities have registered 10,484 coronavirus cases and 103 related deaths in the country since the beginning of the pandemic.
