Saudi Authorities Suspend Umrah Pilgrimage As Fear of COVID-19 Mounts

By Staff, Agencies

Saudi Arabia said it has temporarily suspended entry for individuals aiming to perform Umrah pilgrimage or to visit Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] Mosque in Medina over concerns of the spread of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus.

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted early Thursday that the temporary suspension of Umrah is a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the new disease.

The ministry said the decision is one of the three precautions taken by the Saudi government to "provide the utmost protections to the safety of citizens and residents and everyone who intends to come to the territory of the Kingdom to perform Umrah or visit the Prophet's Mosque or for the purpose of tourism."

Umrah, a lesser pilgrimage compared to the annual Hajj, involves a visit to Saudi Arabia where Islam's holiest site Kaaba is located.

The new coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in a market selling wildlife in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, has infected about 80,000 people and killed more than 2,700, the vast majority in China. The number of confirmed cases has risen above 80,000.