Children return to Saudi Arabia's Grand Mosque after two years

Those above the age of 7 can visit the revered mosques in Makkah and Madinah for prayers, provided they are vaccinated and use the Tawakkalna app

A boy praying at the Prophet's Mosque. Photo: SPA

Children aged 7 and above are now allowed to enter the Two Holy Mosques in Saudi Arabia for prayers, two years after the country introduced strict coronavirus precautionary measures.

Only children who are vaccinated and can show proof of their inoculation on the Tawakkalna app can enter the Grand Mosque in Makkah and Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah for prayers, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said.

The state-owned Saudi Press Agency published photos of young children praying while adhering to preventive measures at the mosques.

The Ministry of Health announced that children aged between 5 and 11 can start taking coronavirus vaccines to ensure their safety, as pupils returned to in-person classes earlier this year after 17 months.

Saudi Arabia had started vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 in December last year, after the kingdom's Food and Drug Authority approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for this age group in November.

So far the government has administered 60 million vaccine doses. About 24 million people have received two doses of vaccine, while 11 million have received booster shots, official figures show.