Saudi Arabia will suspend all domestic flights, buses, taxis and train services for 14 days from Saturday as a precautionary measure to limit the spread of coronavirus, the interior ministry said on Friday.
Saudi Arabia has so far confirmed 274 cases of the Covid-19 virus with eight recoveries and no deaths, while globally the pandemic has killed nearly 10,000 and infected more than 240,000.
In an address on Thursday, King Salman reassured Saudis and residents.
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A labourer sprays disinfectant in Jordan's Petra south of the capital Amman to prevent the spread of coronavirus. AFP -
A labourer sprays disinfectant in Jordan's Petra south of the capital Amman to prevent the spread of coronavirus. AFP -
Delivery men wear protective face masks as they deliver food for customers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters -
Lebanese intelligence officer patrolling a street in Beirut after authorities ordered shops to close for two weeks to fight COVID-19. AFP -
Lebanese intelligence officers patrolling a street in Beirut after authorities ordered shops to close for two weeks to fight COVID-19. AFP -
Turkish citizens look out from windows in Ankara after being quarantined to prevent the spread of coronavirus after returning from Saudi Arabia, where they took part in the Umrah pilgrimage. EPA -
A man wearing a face mask sells food at a street market in Erbil, Iraq. AFP -
A civil defence worker sprays disinfectant in a market in Baghdad, Iraq. AP Photo -
Palestinian municipality workers and Health Ministry personnel stand at the construction site of a field hospital to house coronavirus patients in Rafah in the southern Gaza strip. AFP -
A worker wearing a protective suit sprays interiors departure hall of Baghdad International Airport. REUTERS -
Iraqi Kurdish musician Nujin Hasan plays his violin to residents of his apartment block in Erbil. AFP -
Delivery men wear protective face masks as they deliver food for customers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters -
Heath workers take people's temperatures and inform them about the dangers of the spread of the coronavirus near the camp for displaced Syrians in Deir al-Ballut camp in Afrin, Aleppo. AFP -
A labourer sprays disinfectant in Jordan's archaeological city of Petra south of the capital Amman. AFP
He said that the kingdom was continuing to take "all precautionary measures to confront this pandemic and limit its effects".
"We are living through a difficult phase of the world's history. However, we are completely certain that this phase will end and pass, despite its harsh and bitter difficulties," King Salman said.
"All government sectors, led by the Ministry of Health, are doing all they can and taking all necessary measures to ensure the health of the nation's citizens and residents."
The Saudi Minister of Health Dr Tawfiq Al Rabiah and and Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan are scheduled to hold a press conference on the health and economic challenges of the coronavirus outbreak later on Friday.
