Jakarta (Indonesia Window) - The General Presidency of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque has launched self-sterilization gates at the entrance of Makkah’s Grand Mosque as part of measures to curb the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Thursday.

Before anyone enters the mosque’s courtyards, they must pass through the gate which sterilizes them from head to toe using a sanitizing spray.

The gates have been set up just one week after thermal cameras were installed at Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque (Masjidil Haram) in Makkah.

The cameras, which can accurately scan the temperatures of up to 25 people at the same time, were also placed at the entrances of the courtyards.

Similar cameras were put up in the Prophet’s Mosque (Nabawi Mosque) in Madinah earlier this month.

Authorities closed the holy sites to the public as part of measures to combat the spread of the COVID-19.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs in April denied rumors that mosques across the kingdom would reopen soon for congressional prayers after the coronavirus pandemic forced their closure last month.

Reporting by Indonesia Window