RIYADH: Saudi Arabia took the unprecedented step of suspending the Umrah pilgrimage for its citizens and residents, saying it wanted to prevent the coronavirus from spreading through the “intense flow” of crowds to holy sites.
Under the temporary ban, Saudi nationals and residents living in the kingdom wants to perform Umrah will also not be allowed into the holiest sites.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced that it is working to help foreign pilgrims still in the kingdom return to their countries, Arab News reported on Wednesday.
A day earlier, Saudi Arabia had barred citizens and residents of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from entering the kingdom for 14 days after returning from outside the region due to coronavirus concerns.
The kingdom reported its first case of the deadly disease on Monday in a Saudi national returning from Iran, which has reported the most deaths outside China, where the flu-like disease originated.
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