Saudi Arabia announces first case of coronavirus four days after banning religious pilgrims

Saudi Arabia on Monday announced the first coronavirus case four days after banning religious pilgrims from visiting Mecca or Medina to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the Kingdom.


The Health Ministry said on its official Twitter account that the individual is a Saudi national who returned from Iran through Bahrain.

According to the ministry, the individual, who is currently quarantined in hospital, had not disclosed his visit to Iran when entering Saudi Arabia.

The official Saudi Press Agency, citing the Health Ministry, also disclosed that people who had interacted with the infected man had been isolated and were being tested.

This comes after the Health Ministry said on Sunday it had prepared 25 hospitals to handle any coronavirus infections, with 2,200 beds dedicated for quarantine cases.

Few days ago, Saudi Arabia banned religious pilgrims from visiting Mecca or Medina to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the Kingdom.