Mecca, Medina get 24-hour curfew; Gulf migrant worker districts locked down

FILE PHOTO: General view of Kaaba at the Grand Mosque, which is almost empty of worshippers, after Saudi authority suspended umrah (Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca) amid the fear of coronavirus outbreak, at Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia March 5, 2020. REUTERS/Yasser Bakhsh/File Photo

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia imposed a 24-hour curfew on Thursday in the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, extending measures to combat coronavirus, while other Gulf Arab states locked down districts with large migrant worker populations.

The Saudi interior ministry stipulated exceptions, including for essential workers and to allow residents to buy food and access medical care. Cars may only carry one passenger.