Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry announced it will temporarily suspend the entry of foreigners for pilgrimage and tourism purposes.
In a statement published Thursday, Riyadh's government said it was temporarily "suspending entry to the kingdom for the purpose of umrah and visiting the Prophet's Mosque."
Muslims pray at Masjid al-Nabawi after completing the hajj pilgrimage in Medina, Saudi Arabia on August 19, 2019.'s Foreign Ministry announced it will temporarily suspend the entry of foreigners for pilgrimage and tourism purposes, preventing travel to the country's holiest sites over fears of the fast-spreading coronavirus.
The extraordinary move will stop foreign nationals from reaching the holy city of Mecca and the Kaaba, as well as Prophet Muhammad's mosque in the city of Medina. It follows a sudden increase of cases in Italy, Iran and South Korea, with the WHO's director-general describing the uptick in infections as "deeply disturbing."However, nine countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region have recorded cases of COVID-19,The Islamic Republic has recorded the highest number of coronavirus fatalities outside China, while some local officials have claimed the number of dead and infected is actually far higher than reported.
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