The Western Wall Plaza in Jerusalem re-opened to worshippers on Tuesday morning after the Israeli government announced a relaxation of its social distancing measures.

The reopening followed the cancellation of a ban on outdoor prayer services further than 500 metres from a person’s home.

For the past few weeks, this had meant that prayer at the Western Wall has been restricted to only those living in the Old City of Jerusalem, and to groups of only ten and then 19 at any one time.

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which manages the site, congratulated the Israeli government on its decision and said that access to the site remained contingent on the sporting of facemasks by worshippers, in line with regulations imposed by the Israeli government.

Worshippers will also be required to adhere to social distancing measures and, to facilitate this, the plaza will be divided into separate areas for prayer. Access will also be capped at 300 worshippers.

Once the plaza is at capacity, those seeking to pray at the site will be required to queue two metres apart before space becomes available.

Reports have also suggested that worshippers are having their temperatures taken and personal details recorded before they enter the plaza.

The Rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinowitz, said that in accordance with Halachic law, those who have not seen the Temple Mount – which sits above the Western Wall – in the past 30 days should tear their clothing and say a special prayer.

The Western Wall tunnels remain closed due to the ongoing ban on group prayer in an enclosed space.

In mid-March, the Ashkenazi and Sephardi chief rabbis, David Lau and Yitzak Yosef, ordered religious Jews to follow the advice of the Israeli Health Ministry and to avoid praying at the Western Wall in a bid to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Rabbi Rabinowitz has also previously asked that worshippers refrain from kissing the Wall’s stones for the duration of the pandemic.