Saudi Arabia suspends Umrah pilgrimage

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Saudi Arabia suspends Umrah pilgrimage | Secret Flying

Saudi Arabia has imposed a temporary ban on all Umrah pilgrims.

 

Amid increasing coronavirus fear, Saudi Arabia has suspended entry to the kingdom for the purpose of pilgrims visiting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

 

The ban was one of several precautionary restrictions announced by KSA on Thursday to prevent the outbreak from spreading around the world.

 

In a tweet, the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “Entry to the country for the purpose of Umrah (pilgrimage) and/or visiting the Prophet’s mosque in Medina is temporarily suspended. #CoronaVirus.”

 

 

A ban has also been imposed to tourist-visa holders from “countries judged to pose a particularly high risk of spreading the virus”.

 

Outside mainland China, the virus has spread to more than 30 countries, including the US, UK., Singapore, France, Italy, Russia, Spain and India.

 

7 million Umrah pilgrims visit the Kingdom each year, the majority of whom arrive at airports in Jeddah and Madina.

 

It’s still early to determine whether the Hajj pilgrimage scheduled for July/August will be affected by the virus outbreak.

 

The Hajj is one of the largest gatherings in the world, attracting more than 1.8 million people for the 5-day pilgrimage.