Jerusalem:Friday prayers were held at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Quds (Jerusalem) for the first time yesterday after weeks of the mosque’s closure.

According to Wilayat Times Media Network, the Islamic Awqaf Department of Quds said in a statement that more than 50,000 worshippers attended the Friday prayers.

The mosque’s officials said health protocols were observed during the prayers, with the guards distributing face masks and sanitizers among the worshippers and ensuring that proper social distance is maintained.

The Quds Islamic Waqf Organization had in March banned presence of worshippers at the mosque to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Al-Aqsa Mosque was reopened on Sunday on the condition that all health instructions are fully observed by those visiting the mosque.