Saudi Arabia imposes lockdown, tells pilgrims and tourists to leave in 72 hours as coronavirus fears rise

The Saudi government has decided to impose a temporary lockdown in the country, informing airlines that all tourists and pilgrims should leave the country within 72 hours on Thursday.

 Pakistanis who hold an Iqamah or Saudi Arabia's residency have the choice to either stay in the country and return there within 72 hours or leave it within the same timeframe. 

A PIA spokesperson said that the schedule of the additional flights which will bring back Pakistanis from the kingdom will be announced soon.  

Earlier, the Saudi government announced it had temporarily suspended travel of citizens and residents and halted flights with several states including Pakistan after coronavirus was declared a “pandemic” by World Health Organisation, state news agency Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Thursday citing an official source at Interior Ministry.

The decision includes the European Union, Switzerland, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Sudan, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Eritrea, Kenya, Djibouti, and Somalia, source added, saying the Kingdom also suspended entry to those coming from these countries.

Saudi Arabia also suspended passenger traffic through all land crossings with Jordan , while commercial and cargo traffic is still allowed, and the passage of exceptional humanitarian cases.

The decision excludes health workers in the Kingdom from Philippines and India, and evacuation, shipping and trade trips taking necessary precautions.

“Further to the decision of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to temporarily suspend travel of citizens and expatriates to a number of countries where the threat of the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID19) appeared, SPA said. 

The decision gives a 72-hour period for citizens and those with valid residency of the citizens of those countries to return to the kingdom, before the travel suspension decision becomes effective.

WHO terms coronavirus 'a pandemic'

The World Health Organisation on Wednesday declared the novel coronavirus a "pandemic" as more than 4,000 people died and the infected toll shot above 120,000 across the globe.

Addressing a press conference, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number of cases outside of China has risen 13-fold over the past two weeks.

The body "has been assessing this outbreak around the clock" and was "deeply concerned by the alarming levels of spread and severity as well as the inaction", he said.

"We have therefore made the assessment that #COVID19 can be characterised as a pandemic," Ghebreyesus added.

In total, the number of countries where the virus has spread has tripled over the same time period.

"There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, & 4,291 people have lost their lives," he said. "Thousands more are fighting for their lives in hospitals," he noted, warning that in the near future, the number of cases, deaths, and affected countries could skyrocket even higher.

Noting that "pandemic" was not a word to use lightly or carelessly, the WHO top official underlined: "We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus. And we have never before seen a pandemic that can be controlled at the same time."