Thursday: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has suspended entry for Umrah and tourism from countries where cases of the Coronavirus have been confirmed.
The suspension came amidst worries over the Coronavirus that has continued to spread rapidly beyond China.
The suspension, in a statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is temporary. However, no date is given yet for the expiry.
While entry has also been suspended for visits to the Prophet’s Mosque in Medinah, it is unclear if the suspension would affect the Hajj pilgrimage which is to begin in late July.
The Kingdom has no confirmed case of the Virus, but, neighboring countries like Iran have. Recently, the Iranian Health Minister tested positive to the Virus.
Countries that would be affected by the suspension have not been specified, but, the Kingdom’s health authorities would determine where the outbreak constitutes a great danger.
The Coronavirus (COVID-19), since its outbreak in Wuhan, China, has continued to spread rapidly beyond China and is predicated as a Pandemic.
This is the Coronavirus in numbers, according to the WHO/China National Health Commission;
- Countries with cases: 48
- Total cases: 82,000
- Total deaths: 2,800
Coronavirus in China:
- Total cases: 78,000
- Total deaths: 2,747
- Total recovered: 32,531
Estonia, Denmark, Georgia, Brazil, Pakistan, Sweden, Norway, Greece, Romania and Algeria have just recorded their first confirmed cases.
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