Prayers at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound suspended - statement

FILE PHOTO: A worshipper wearing a mask walks in front of the Dome of the Rock in the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City March 13, 2020. Picture taken March 13, 2020. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Muslim prayers at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound will be suspended starting Monday and until further notice in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus, religious officials said on Sunday.

"It was decided to suspend the arrival of worshippers to prayers through all the gates to Al-Aqsa mosque starting Monday,” said a statement issued by the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.