Saudi Arabia Temporarily Bans Pilgrims From Visiting Mecca to Prevent Spread of Coronavirus

On Thursday, Riyadh announced that religious pilgrims will be temporarily banned from visiting, as the Kingdom implements "approved international standards" by suspending entry into the country for the purpose of Umrah and attending the Prophet's Mosque.

"The Kingdom affirms that these procedures are temporary, and is subject to continuous evaluation by the competent authorities", the official statement read. "The Foreign Ministry calls on citizens not to travel to countries where the new Coronavirus (COVID) is spreading. We ask God Almighty to spare us all humanity, all harm".

Saudi Arabia also suspended entrance to tourists if they previously travelled to a country hit by the disease.

A number of countries in the Middle East have already confirmed several cases of the coronavirus, with at least 139 infected in Iran, 33 in Bahrain, and 26 in Kuwait.

Europe has also suffered from the disease, with over 300 people infected in Italy and numerous countries reporting their first cases.

According to reports, the novel coronavirus, originally reported in China's Wuhan in December, has since infected 81,000 people across more than 30 countries with the death toll now over 2,700.