The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has suspended all entry into the country for the purpose of Umrah and/or visiting the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, effective February 27.
Passengers with a tourist visa from countries with confirmed coronavirus outbreaks will be denied entry. This suspension is applied in accordance with criteria established by Saudi health officials.
An Umrah travel specialist told eTNW that certain airlines and hotels had been open to refund and cancellation negotiations due to this.
There have also been cases of travellers being stranded or quarantined in GCC countries looking to fly onwards into Saudi Arabia.
The ministry stresses that these measures are temporary and subject to continuous evaluation.
