After Putra Mosque, Federal Territory Mosque also closed to tourists

PETALING JAYA: After the Putra Mosque closed temporarily to tourists, now the Federal Territory Mosque is following suit, believed to be over concerns over the novel coronavirus outbreak.

In an announcement posted on its Facebook page, it said that the closure of the Federal Territory Mosque to tours and visits takes effect on Monday (Jan 27).

When contacted, a security staff member said that the mosque, a popular Islamic tourism site, is currently only open to Muslims to conduct their prayers.

“Yes, tourists cannot come in for tours. It’s because of the 'virus out there', ” he said.

On Sunday (Jan 26) afternoon, Putra Mosque in Putrajaya, a popular site for tourists, closed for tours and visits until further notice.

So far in Malaysia, there are four confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Johor with all patients being tourists from China.

The virus originated from the central Chinese city of Wuhan and has quickly spread to more than 10 countries including Singapore, Thailand, Canada, the United States and Australia.

The virus has so far claimed 81 lives in China and infected thousands of others.