S.Arabia to suspend flights over coronavirus
10:55, 14/03/2020, SaturdayU: Update: 10:56, 14/03/2020, Saturday
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Riyadh to suspend international flights for 2 weeks as of Sunday
Saudi Arabia will suspend international flights for two weeks as of Sunday to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to the official SPA news agency.
The two-week period will be considered an official holiday for citizens who are unable to return due to the flight suspension or facing quarantine after their return to the kingdom, it said, quoting a source with the Interior Ministry.
Riyadh has already suspended flights to the entire EU countries and 12 others in Asia and Africa.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia reported 24 new coronavirus cases, raising the total infections in the country to 86.
After emerging in Wuhan, China, in December, the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 has spread to at least 123 countries and territories.
The global death toll is now over 5,000, with more than 136,500 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization, which declared the outbreak a “pandemic".