Saudi Arabia reopens Mecca, Medina holy sites after coronavirus closure: Report

Saudi Arabia reopened Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and Al-Masjid al Nabawy in Medina, two of the holiest religious sites in Islam, after closing them for days amid the rapidly spreading coronavirus threat, local media reported on Friday.

The Mosques were closed for the sterilisation. However, there is no clarity on whether the pilgrims will be allowed immediately to visit the mosques.

On February 27, Saudi Arabia has announced the closure of the pilgrimage sites to foreign pilgrims and traditional tourists to stop the spread of the virus.

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In an official statement, it also said that citizens and residents of Gulf Cooperation Council countries wishing to enter must wait 14 days after returning from outside the region.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday declared three new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of reported infections to five.

Worldwide, over 3,000 people have been killed and about 90,000 infected since the virus was first detected late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

While the numbers in China are still far lower than the huge daily increases reported during the first two weeks of February, COVID-19 has spread rapidly across borders, with South Korea, Italy and Iran emerging as hotspots.