Saudi Arabia imposed a 24-hour curfew on Thursday in the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, an extension of measures to combat coronavirus.
The Saudi interior ministry stipulated exceptions, including for essential workers and to allow residents to buy food and access medical care. Cars may only carry one passenger.
Saudi Arabia has recorded 1,885 infections and 21 deaths, the most in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council. It has already halted international flights, suspended the year-round umrah pilgrimage, closed most public places, and heavily restricted internal movement.
A slidey shows the holy site of the Kaaba holiest city in the Muslim world, located in Mecca, before (left) and after the coronavirus outbreak
Pictured: A small crowd gathers around the Kaaba, the holiest site in the Muslim world, which is located in the Saudi city of Mecca, on 7 March
Muslim pilgrims pray outside Namira Mosque on the plains of Arafat during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, outside the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia in August last year
Women wear protective face masks, as they walk, after Saudi Arabia imposed a temporary lockdown on the province of Qatif, following the spread of coronavirus, in Qatif, Saudi Arabia March 10, 2020
The eastern oil-producing province of Qatif, where the kingdom’s first coronavirus cases were reported among Shi’ite Muslim pilgrims returning from Iran, has been on lockdown for nearly four weeks.
Entry and exit to Riyadh, Mecca, Medina and Jeddah is limited. Some neighbourhoods in Mecca and Medina were already under full lockdown, but in the rest of those cities the curfew was previously from 3 p.m. to 6 a.m.
In other Gulf Arab states, lockdowns targeted neighbourhoods with large numbers of low-wage foreign labourers.
A Saudi money exchanger wears a protective face mask and gloves as he counts Saudi riyal currency at a currency exchange shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 10, 2020
Expats returning from Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon arrive to be re-tested at a Kuwaiti health ministry containment and screening zone for the coronavirus in Kuwait City on March 16, 2020
Police tapes close the entrance of Dubai old market and gold market after the full lockdown, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday. Reports say that authorities ordered a two-week closure of the area. Authorities had previously imposed a partial lockdown across the Emirates from 8pm to 6am local time until 05 April with the possibility of extension
Kuwait’s health minister said authorities were considering sealing off some areas after Qatar announced late on Wednesday it was extending a lockdown on an industrial area and Oman closed off Muttrah, home to one of the sultanate’s oldest markets.
Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday sealed off Al Ras, an area famous for its gold and spice souqs and where many migrant workers reside.
Millions of migrant workers, mainly from Asian countries like Nepal, India and the Philippines, are among the large expatriate population in the six Gulf states, where confirmed infections have risen to above 4,700, with 36 deaths.
Workers stand near the blocked entrance of Dubai old market and gold market after the full lockdown, Dubai, United Arab Emirates yesterday
A cat walks through a deserted Gold Souq, a popular tourist attraction, before the full lockdown, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 28, 2020
A picture shows Dubai’s Burj Khalifa lit up with a message ‘thank you heroes’ during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic yesterday
Bahrain’s health ministry reported 66 new cases on Thursday, all in the industrial zone of Salmabad.
‘The expat labourers had been under precautionary quarantine in their residence and yesterday were placed in a dedicated quarantine facility and there is no outbreak among labourers,’ it said.
Oman’s health minister said the coastal commercial district of Muttrah was sealed off due to the discovery of a community spread of the virus. ‘Such decisions are not easily taken … but it is for the public good,’ state media quoted him as saying.
Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it was working to enable foreign residents to return home even as passenger flights remain suspended.