Saudi Suspends 'Umrah' Pilgrimage over Coronavirus Fears

Saudi Arabia halted the year-round "umrah" pilgrimage on Wednesday because of concerns of transmitting the latest coronavirus to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the interior ministry reported.

The condition of the Gulf has agreed "to temporarily suspend umrah for civilians and kingdom inhabitants," the ministry said in a statement released by the official Saudi News Service.

According to a foreign ministry post, they were also prohibited from "visits to the temple of the Prophet in Medina."

The decision comes after pilgrimage visas were revoked for Saudi Arabia last week and residents of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council were barred from entering Mecca and Medina, two of the holiest cities of Islam.

Saudi Arabia announced its first case of modern coronavirus on Monday, following a positive test by one of its residents who had returned from the COVID-19 hotspot Iran.

The abrupt developments left thousands of Muslim pilgrims in distress, creating doubt at the end of July over the annual hajj to Mecca.

The holy sites, which draw millions of pilgrims every year, are a potential source of contagion but also a key revenue earner and a pillar of political legitimacy for Saudi rulers.

Source: AFP