Saudi desert offers respite from coronavirus lockdown

Visitors sit in the garden of the King Fahd Library, following an outbreak of coronavirus, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 12, 2020. Picture taken March 12, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri

JEBEL FIHRAYN, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - As Saudi Arabia suspended international flights and shuttered entertainment venues this weekend over coronavirus fears, locals and residents once again turned to wide-open desert spaces for recreation, including the breathtaking 'Edge of the World'.

The conservative kingdom only recently lifted bans on public entertainment, including cinemas and concerts, as part of social and economic reform efforts, but the virus's spread has prompted authorities to pause such activities again.