PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are advised to postpone their trips to Saudi Arabia after the Kingdom decided to temporarily stop accepting travellers for umrah pilgrimage and tourism over Covid-19 fears.
Wisma Putra said Saudi Arabia was temporarily suspending entry into the country for umrah pilgrimage and visits to the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina as part of measures to prevent Covid-19 from spreading in the kingdom.
Entry with a tourist visa from countries with confirmed Covid-19 cases according to criteria established by the Saudi Arabian health authorities had also been temporarily suspended, it said.
According to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which had 22 confirmed Covid-19 cases, was among the countries affected by the temporary suspension.
“The Saudi Arabian government stresses that the measures are temporary and subject to continuous evaluation by their authorities, ” said Wisma Putra in a statement on Thursday (Feb 27).
Wisma Putra, the Malaysian Embassy in Riyadh and the Malaysian Consulate General in Jeddah will continue to communicate with Saudi Arabian authorities to get more details on the implementation of the temporary suspension.
“Based on the measures put in place by the Saudi government and in order to avoid any complications, the Foreign Ministry is advising Malaysians to postpone their travels to the Kingdom for umrah and tours, ” said Wisma Putra.
Malaysians in Saudi Arabia who require consular assistance are advised to contact the Malaysian Embassy in Riyadh and the Malaysian Consulate General in Jeddah.
Earlier on Thursday (Feb 27), it was reported that Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry had announced the country’s temporary suspension of entry for the purposes of umrah, tours to the Prophet’s Mosque and also tourism.
It was reported that last year, over seven million people performed the umrah pilgrimage in Mecca.
Umrah is an optional rite that can be undertaken at any point during the year, unlike the haj pilgrimage which can only be done on specific dates.
