Saudi Arabia is halting the entry of Muslim pilgrims seeking to worship at the holy cities of Mecca and Medina as the kingdom attempts to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
The government was “suspending entry to the kingdom for the purpose of umrah and visiting the Prophet’s Mosque temporarily”, the foreign ministry said on Thursday. Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage that can be performed at any time of year.
Some 8m Muslims perform it annually, with many preferring the holy month of Ramadan which starts this year in the last week of April.
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