Due to the fast spread of cases of coronavirus, Saudi Arabia has recently announced that it would not be letting umrah pilgrims enter the Holy city of Mecca out of public safety concerns. On Thursday, the temporary ban was announced by the by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement in which highlight several preventative measures to prevent the virus from spreading into the kingdom such as suspending entry to the country for umrah and visiting the Prophet’s Mosque. We ask God Almighty to spare all humanity from all harm#CoronaVirus#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/TEYvIW1Wbd — Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) February 26, 2020 The Middle Eastern country has additionally suspended all visa issuance to travelers from countries in which the virus outbreak is dire until further notice. It is also preventing Saudi nationals and gulf cooperation council state citizens to travel from and to the country using their national identity cards except for citizens wanting to return to their home countries. “The Kingdom affirms that these procedures are temporary and is subject to continuous evaluation by the competent authorities,” reads the statement. Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage that Muslims can undertake any…
Saudi MFA: Temporary Umrah Pilgrimage Ban Due to Coronavirus Fears
February 27, 2020
