KUALA LUMPUR: Wisma Putra will verify with Saudi Arabia news that it is temporarily suspending Umrah visas over the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak.
The Foreign Ministry made the statement on its official Twitter account at 10.10am today.
The Saudi government announced on Thursday that it has temporarily suspended entry for individuals seeking to perform Umrah pilgrimage in Makkah or visit the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah.
The suspension also applies to tourists from countries where the coronavirus “is a danger”.
Quoting the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the al-Arabiya.net portal said that the new precautions are “based on recommendations of the competent health authorities to apply the highest precautionary standards and take proactive preventive measures to prevent the emergence of the coronavirus in the Kingdom and its spread.”
The portal added that Saudi Arabia is also suspending the use of the national identity card by Saudi nationals and citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states to travel to and from the Kingdom.
The coronavirus is spreading across the Middle East, with Iran being the worst hit.
Kuwait and Bahrain today reported a surge in cases, while Oman and Algeria reported their first cases.