Riyadh (Web Desk): Saudi Arabia on Thursday declared a 24-hour lockdown in all parts of Makkah and Medina cities as part of measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
“The 24-hour curfew will be imposed in all parts of the cities of Makkah and Medina, with a ban on entry and exit from both cities,” the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a tweet.
The lockdown starts from Thursday “until further notice”.
All commercial activities inside the residential neighbourhoods of the two cities were also prohibited, except for pharmacies, food products stores, gas stations and banking services, the ministry said.
The coronavirus outbreak began in China in late 2019 but Beijing has reported fewer cases and deaths in the United States, which now has the world's largest outbreak, with 215,000 confirmed cases and more than 5,000 deaths.