“Full 24-hour curfew in Mecca and Medina starting from today until further notice,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing an interior ministry source.
After the death toll in the kingdom rose to 21 and new cases arose in the country, it was announced a 24-hour curfew for the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, on Thursday.
Arrangements for hajj which will be held at the end of July is set to put off temporarily!
The cities were earlier under a 15-hour daily curfew.
The authorities, on the other hand, banned the movements in the city from other provinces and sealed Mecca and Madinah with Riyadh and Jeddah.
Saudi Arabia, which has reported the highest number of infections in the Gulf, is scrambling to limit the spread of the disease at home.
On Thursday the health ministry said the deaths from the illness had risen to 21 while 1,885 infections were reported.
Last month, Saudi Arabia suspended the year-round “umrah” pilgrimage over fears of the coronavirus pandemic spreading to Islam’s holiest cities.
Authorities are yet to announce whether they will proceed with this year’s hajj.
King Salman has warned of a “more difficult” fight ahead against the virus, as the kingdom faces the economic double blow of virus-led shutdowns and crashing oil prices.
