Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry has imposed a full 24-hour curfew in Makkah and Medina starting from Thursday until further notice.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reports an official source at the ministry indicated that move has been taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the holy cities and to preserve the health and safety of citizens and residents.

According to SPA, the curfew will be effective in all parts of the cities of Makkah and Medina for a period of 24 hours a day, with continuing ban of entry into and exit from the two cities until further notice.

The curfew excludes employees of vital sectors in government and private sectors, whose work require continued performance during the ban period.

However, citizens under extreme circumstances will be allowed to leave their homes to use the ATM’s or buy necessary items from 6am until 3pm every day.

The Ministry has assured citizens that the measures have been taken within the framework of the Kingdom’s efforts to preserve public health and prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

At the same time, Saudia Airlines has waived all international flights departing to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In a memo to travel agencies, the airlines says it is also not accepting any new Umrah requests up until the end of May.

Faizel Patel

(Twitter: @FaizelPatel143)