Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has announced a nationwide dusk-to-dawn curfew from Monday in a bid to limit the spread of the new coronavirus. The curfew from 7 pm until 6 am will be imposed for 21 days. The move comes after Saudi Arabia on Sunday said the number of COVID-19 cases had jumped to 511, the highest in the Gulf. The kingdom has reported no deaths so far.
Saudi Arabia has allowed Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to bring back passengers and Umrah pilgrims stranded in Saudi Arabia till March 17. The national carrier can send its aircraft to Jeddah and Madina only for the purpose of bringing back those stranded in Saudi Arabia. The spokesman of PIA, Abdullah Hafeez said PIA had been granted special permission by the Saudi authorities to operate its flights to Jeddah and Madina till March 17.
Saudi Arabia has permitted special flights to take Pakistani Umrah pilgrims back home until March 19. These special flights could take Pakistani pilgrims from the Jeddah and Madina airports, according to the Saudi aviation authority. Ferry flights from Pakistan will be able to land at these two Saudi airports. Earlier, Saudi Arabia announced suspension of all flight operations froim Pakistan for two weeks.
People across the country crowded offices of the Pakistan International Airways after Saudi Arabia imposed a 72-hour deadline for iqama holders (residents) to return to the Kingdom. The decision was taken a precautionary measure after the global coronavirus outbreak. PIA was ordered by the federal government on Friday to only operate international flights from Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.
Saudi Arabia said Saturday it would suspend international flights for two weeks in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Saudi Arabia has recorded 86 cases of the virus so far, but no deaths, according to the health ministry. The Kingdom had already halted flights to some countries and closed schools and universities as part of measures to contain the disease.
Following the spread of the deadly coronavirus to other Asian countries, Saudi Arabia has temporarily suspended religious visits (Umrah) to the country. It has also banned travelers from the virus-hit countries, including Pakistan. If the situation persists, the Hajj this year could be severely affected. As per details, the Saudi authorities have directed all airlines to inform passengers of the development and await further orders.
Saudi Arabia has introduced multiple entry visas for Pakistanis and all other applicants who have a valid UK, US or Schengen visa stamped on their passport. Umrah can also be performed on this visa. The visa will be valid for a year. Visitors, however, aren’t allowed to perform Hajj on it. People can stay for 90 days at a stretch on this visa and enter the Kingdom multiple times.
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recently announced that all commercial activities will continue to function for 24 hours, without any halt during the five times prayer. The change solves many problems, such as congestion and loss of potential income, many Saudis still debate whether or not it will include the custom of shops closing during prayer time, five times a day.
PIA has been slapped with a massive fine for leaving passengers’ luggage in Saudi Arabia. It has been fined 72,000 Saudi Riyals or Rs2.97 million. Saudi Ground Services fined PIA 1,000 Riyal per container of luggage. Most recently, PIA left the luggage for the Islamabad-bound PK-754 and Lahore-bound PK-725 in Riyadh. This isn’t the first time PIA has left its luggage in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia on Saturday rejected reports that it was involved in Pakistan’s absence from the Kuala Lumpur Summit. The Saudi embassy in Islamabad released its statement a day after Turkish media quoted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying Pakistan had decided to stay away from the recently concluded summit because of Saudi Arabia’s threats of economic sanctions.