Saudi Arabia has instituted a 24-hour curfew for two of its holy cities, Mecca and Medina, in a move to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The extended curfew comes just days after officials made a plea to people who are planning an annual Hajj holy pilgrimage to Mecca to delay bookings as the country races to contain the spread of the virus among its 30 million people.
The Saudi Arabian interior ministry on Thursday announced in a tweet that “It is prohibited to roam throughout the cities of Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah for a period of (24) hours per day, while continuing to prevent entry to or exit from it, as of its date and until further notice.”
Essential workers are exempt from the strict curfew, and residents in the cities may leave their homes to purchase food or for medical reasons, the ministry said.
As of Thursday, Saudi Arabia has reported 1,720 confirmed cases of coronavirus, 16 deaths and 264 recoveries, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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