The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s decision to suspend entry of all travelers has been shared with Maldivian travel and pilgrimage agencies, says the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.

The ministry announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has temporarily halted traveler entry from all countries for both tourism and umrah pilgrimage purposes, over the mounting fear of the wide-spreading Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), via a press release on Wednesday.

The statement revealed that the action, taken as a safety measure against COVID-19, is temporary and was put into effect from 27 February onwards.

Following this, the ministry has informed local agencies of the Kingdom’s announcement of having suspended entry, cancelled pre-issued visas and stopped issuing visas.

The ministry further revealed that the government of Maldives stands by the Kingdom’s decision, as such, they urged the public to remain patient and respect the decision.

In addition, the ministry’s statement reads that local pilgrimage agencies will be updated with the latest information and instructions to follow as they come, in line with the orders from the special task force compiled by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to prevent the fatal disease from surfacing in Maldives.

The middle-eastern country temporarily suspended entry with tourist visas from countries where there have been confirmed cases of the COVID-19, in line with the criterion set by the Kingdom’s health authorities. The country’s foreign ministry asserted that global protocol against the epidemic will be adhered to.

A day after the Kingdom’s announcement, Maldives Islamic ministry instructed pilgrimage agencies to halt umrah tours until the situation simmers down.