Saudi Arabia has imposed a temporary suspension on visitors to the kingdom intending to perform Umrah or visit the Prophet’s Mosque or for the purpose of tourism in a move to prevent the arrival of the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) to the Kingdom and its spread, media reports said.

The government has also suspended entry into the Kingdom with tourist visas of those coming from countries in which the spread of the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a danger, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

In addition, Saudi nationals and citizens of GCC nations will not be able to use a national identity card to travel to and from the Kingdom for the time being, reported Arab News.

Exceptions to this shall be granted to Saudis returning home, and citizens of GCC countries who are in the kingdom and want to return to their home countries, provided that they left or entered the kingdom using a national identity card, the report added.

Health authorities at entry points will verify which countries travellers visited before arriving in Saudi Arabia and apply all necessary precautionary measures, according to the report.