RIYADH: Saudi Arabia yesterday suspended visas for visits to
Islam's holiest sites for the umrah pilgrimage, an unprecedented move triggered
by coronavirus fears that raises questions over the annual hajj. The kingdom,
which hosts millions of pilgrims every year in the cities of Mecca and Medina,
also suspended visas for tourists from countries with reported infections as
fears of a pandemic deepen.

Saudi Arabia, which so far has reported no cases of the
virus but has expressed alarm over its spread in neighbouring countries, said
the suspensions were temporary. It provided no timeframe for when they will be
lifted. "The kingdom's government has decided to take the following
precautions: suspending entry to the kingdom for the purpose of umrah and visit
to the Prophet's mosque temporarily," the foreign ministry said in a
statement.

"Suspending entry into the kingdom with tourist visas
for those coming from countries, in which the spread of the new coronavirus
(COVID-19) is a danger." The move comes as Gulf countries implement a raft
of measures, including flight suspensions and school closures, to curb the
spread of the disease from people returning from pilgrimages to Iran.

Even as the number of fresh coronavirus cases declines at
the epicentre of the disease in China, there has been a sudden increase across
the Middle East. Since its outbreak, the United Arab Emirates has reported 13
coronavirus cases, Kuwait has recorded 43, Bahrain has 33 and Oman is at four
cases. Iran has emerged as a major hotspot in the region, with 19 fatalities
from 139 infections -- the highest death toll outside China, where COVID-19
originated. While no cases have been reported in Saudi Arabia, one citizen is
reported to be infected in Kuwait along with four Saudi women in Bahrain -- all
of whom had returned from Iran.

'Unprecedented' move

The umrah, which refers to the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca
that can be undertaken at any time of year, attracts millions of devout Muslims
from all over the globe each year. There was no clarity over how the move would
affect the annual hajj pilgrimage due to start in late July. Some 2.5 million
faithful travelled to Saudi Arabia from across the world to take part in last
year's hajj -- one of the five pillars of Islam. The event is a key rite of
passage for Muslims and a massive logistical challenge for Saudi authorities,
with colossal crowds cramming into relatively small holy sites.

"This move by Saudi Arabia is unprecedented,"
Ghanem Nuseibeh, founder of London-based risk consultancy Cornerstone Global
Associates, told AFP. "The concern for Saudi authorities would be Ramadan,
which starts at the end of April, and hajj afterwards, should the coronavirus
become a pandemic." The holy fasting month of Ramadan is considered a
favourable period by Muslim pilgrims to perform the umrah.

Saudi Arabia's custodianship of Makkah and Madinah --
Islam's two holiest sites -- is seen as the kingdom's most powerful source of political
legitimacy. But a series of deadly disasters over the years has prompted
criticism of the Sunni kingdom's management of the pilgrimage. In September
2015, a stampede killed up to 2,300 worshippers -- including hundreds of
Iranians -- in the worst disaster ever to strike the pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage forms a crucial source of revenue for the
government, which hopes to welcome 30 million pilgrims annually to the kingdom
by 2030. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 reform plan seeks to
shift the economy of Saudi Arabia -- the world's top crude exporter -- away
from oil dependency towards other sources of revenue, including religious
tourism. - AFP