The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has suspended the travel of its citizens and all residents inside the kingdom to China due to the rapid outbreak of coronavirus.
It added that if any Saudi man or woman broke the suspension, he or she would be held accountable, while residents, who have traveled to China, will not be allowed back in the Kingdom.
It has been two weeks since the authorities in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, declared that the city would be locked down as they tried to contain the virus’s spread. The cordon that was first imposed around the city of 11 million quickly expanded to encircle roughly 50 million people in the province of Hubei.
On Thursday, the United States warned its citizens not to travel to China after Beijing announced that the death toll from the new Coronavirus has risen to more than 500 while the World Health Organization declared coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency.
Last week, China announced a nationwide ban on wildlife sales in stores, restaurants and e-commerce sites.
Health authorities in Beijing urged people not to shake hands but to use a conventional cupped-hand gesture instead of saluting. The advice was sent in a Sunday morning text message that went out to city mobile phone users.
The outbreak has overshadowed the start of the Lunar New Year, usually a festive time of year, with the cancellation of public events and the closure of many tourist sites. Many on social media have been calling for an extension of the week-long holiday to help prevent further spread of the virus.
Worldwide airports have stepped up screening of Chinese passengers, although some health experts have questioned their effectiveness.
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