Hyderabad: Historic Makkah Masjid was closed for devotees as many religious scholars had issued appeals to offer prayers at home on Friday.
At the Makkah Masjid only a few devotees were seen on Friday, while a few thousand devotees attend the Friday prayers every week. As reported by Telangana Today, the management had closed the gates and turned away some people who came to the mosque.
Yesterday, MA Khadeer Siddiqui, superintendent, Mecca Masjid, had already announced about the restrictions and had asked the devotees not to come to the Masjid for prayers.
Apart from Makkah Masjid, many mosques across the city suspended the Friday prayers. They had put up notices outside the mosques announcing the same to the devotees. Similar restrictions have been placed on the number of people attending regular prayers at the mosques.
Meanwhile, chaos and uncertainty over access to the essential services and commodities griped Hyderabad during the lockdown.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) after inspection has revealed that 16 foreign returnees were not following home quarantine guidelines. They have been shifted to government quarantine centres. Corporation is carrying out further inspections to identify more such people.