Feb 27, 2020
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia authorities on Thursday have temporarily suspended entry for people planning to visit the Kingdom for ‘Umrah’ (Pilgrimage) or for visiting the Prophet’s mosque in Medina over fears of the deadly coronavirus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The Kingdom has also suspended the entry of tourist visa holders coming from countries where the coronavirus was spreading at an accelerated rate, reports the Saudi Gazette citing the statement as saying.
The Ministry said that this precautionary step comes in completion of the efforts taken to provide the utmost protection to the safety of citizens and residents and everyone who intends to come to the the Kingdom to perform Umrah or visit the Prophet’s Mosque or for the purpose of tourism.
“This precautios based on the recommendations of the competent health authorities to apply the highest precautionary standards, and take proactive preventive measures to prevent the arrival of the new coronavirus to the Kingdom and its spread,” it added.
In addition, Saudi nationals and citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations will not be able to use a national identity card to travel to and from the Kingdom for the time being, reports the Arab Times newspaper.
Exceptions to this will be granted to Saudis returning home, and citizens of the GCC members who are in the Kingdom and want to return to their home countries, provided that they left or entered the the nation using a national identity card.
Health authorities at entry points will verify which countries travellers visited before arriving in Saudi Arabia and apply all necessary precautionary measures.
Overall, 220 coronavirus cases have been detected in the Middle East. IANS
Delhi to Jaipur in three hours as trial run on new expressway link begins
Jaipur: The trial run on the Bandikui-Jaipur Link Expressway, connecting the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway to Jaipur, started on Wednesday. The journey from Jaipur to Delhi will now take just 2.5 to...
Uttarakhand: Political row erupts as licensing becomes mandatory for food vendors during Kanwar Yatra
New Delhi: The Uttarakhand government has mandated all food vendors catering to Kanwar Yatra pilgrims to prominently display their photo ID and shop license number, in a bid to ensure...
Iranian President issues order to suspend cooperation with IAEA
Tehran: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday issued an order to enact a law to suspend the country's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The law calls for...
Macron, Putin hold phone conversation on Iran, Ukraine
Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Iran's nuclear program and the Ukraine situation in their first phone conversation since 2022. On Iran, Macron emphasised that...
10 injured as students, police clash in Bangladesh
Dhaka: At least 10 people, including four police personnel, were injured in a violent clash between police and members of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) outside the Patiya Police Station...
With 79 pc forest cover, Arunachal contributes big to India’s carbon sequestration, says CM Khandu
Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday said the state, with 79 per cent forest cover, contributes 14.38 per cent of India’s total carbon sequestration. The Chief Minister...
Naseeruddin Shah’s remarks on Diljit and Kailasa draw BJP’s ire, Ram Kadam calls him “anti-Hindu”
New Delhi: Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah has landed in the middle of a political firestorm after his social media post in support of Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh triggered strong condemnation...
Shubhanshu Shukla leads experiment to decode muscle loss in space
New Delhi: IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has undertaken a key experiment to decode muscle health in space -- crucial for astronauts undertaking long space missions as well as for...
Trump administration escalates legal battles with Los Angeles
Sacramento: The US Justice Department has sued the City of Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass, and the City Council, asking a federal judge to strike down the city's "sanctuary" ordinance...
G7 FMs call for resumption of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program
Ottawa: The Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers called for the resumption of negotiations to reach a comprehensive, verifiable and durable agreement that addresses Iran's nuclear program. In a joint...
Bengaluru stampede: Setback for Karnataka govt as CAT quashes IPS officer’s suspension
Bengaluru: In a setback to the Karnataka government, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has set aside the suspension order of senior IPS officer Vikash Kumar Vikash in connection with the...
‘Rape and its video recording pre-planned’, say investigating sources on Bengal law college case
Kolkata: Investigating officials probing the rape of a law college student at Kasba in Kolkata revealed that the accused Monojit Mishra targeted the victim in a pre-planned manner and the...
