Daily Times

In an unprecedented move that will likely have massive repercussions the world over, Saudi Arabia has imposed a temporary ban on all umrah pilgrims to keep the county safe from the coronavirus.

Umrah attracts tens of thousands of devout Muslims from all over the globe each month.  The foreign ministry said it was also suspending visas for tourists visiting from countries where the new virus is a “danger”.

Even as the number of fresh cases declines at the epicentre of the disease in China, there has been a sudden increase in parts of Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

In addition to umrah pilgrims, the Saudi government will also impose a similar ban on tourist-visa holders from “countries judged to pose a particularly high risk of spreading the virus”.

The country welcomes nearly 7 million umrah pilgrims every year, most of whom arrive at airports in Jeddah and Madinah. Data from the Saudi Hajj and Umrah Ministry show that, as of last December, Indonesia contributed the second highest number of umrah pilgrims with 443,879 arrivals, just below Pakistan with 495,270.

Indonesian Religious Affairs Ministry staffer Ubaidillah Amin Moch said that requests for umrah visas and other visas to Saudi Arabia would be stopped as of Thursday and that a number of pilgrims had been held up at the airport due to the new restrictions.

“We respect Saudi Arabia’s decision as part of an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and we ask all Indonesian umrah pilgrims to be patient while we wait for the Saudi government to reopen [access],” he said in a statement on Thursday.