A 24-hour curfew was imposed in the holy cities of Makkah and Madina by the Saudi Arabian government. The curfew was imposed on Thursday. The curfew was imposed as a preventive and precautionary measure to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
Exceptions were allowed to essential workers and for residents to buy food and access medical care. Cars in the residential districts of holy cities may only carry one passenger, informed the Saudi interior ministry in a statement.
Saudi has earlier halted international flights, closed most public places, and suspended the year-round umrah pilgrimage. On Tuesday, Saudi urged Muslims to delay plans for the annual Haj pilgrimage pending more clarity about the pandemic.
Restrictions on movement have tightened, with entry and exit to Riyadh, Makkah, Medina and Jeddah heavily restricted. Some neighborhoods in Makkah and Medina were already under full lockdown.
1,700 people in the Kingdom were infected with Coronavirus and the pandemic has killed 16 in Saudi.