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Saudi Arabia has barred foreigners from entering the country – including those coming to visit the holiest sites in Islam – following fears about the spread of coronavirus.

The country’s decision comes months before the annual Hajj pilgrimage and after 220 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 illness have been recorded in the Middle East.

Officials said the bar is temporary but no date for lifting it has been given. There have been no confirmed cases in Saudi Arabia yet.

The decision stops foreigners from reaching the holy city of Mecca and the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims pray toward five times a day.

The centre of the outbreak in Iran, the most-affected country in the Middle East, appears to be in the holy Shiite city of Qom, where a shrine there sees the faithful reach out to kiss and touch it in reverence.

Announcing the decision, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said: “Saudi Arabia renews its support for all international measures to limit the spread of this virus, and urges its citizens to exercise caution before travelling to countries experiencing coronavirus outbreaks.

“We ask God Almighty to spare all humanity from all harm.”

Disease outbreaks always have been a concern surrounding the hajj, required of all able-bodied Muslims once in their life, especially as pilgrims come from all over the world.

The earliest recorded outbreak came in 632 as pilgrims fought off malaria, while a cholera outbreak in 1821 killed an estimated 20,000 pilgrims and another cholera outbreak in 1865 killed 15,000 pilgrims and then spread worldwide.

Meanwhile, the US and South Korea have announced they are postponing the annual military drills between the two countries.

China and South Korea have also each reported hundreds more cases of the virus.

China reported 433 new cases, mostly in Wuhan, where the virus emerged in December, bringing the country’s total to 78,497 cases.

Beijing also said there had been 29 more deaths, taking its toll to 2,744.

South Korea reported 334 more cases, bringing its total to 1,595.

Most were in the country’s fourth-biggest city, Daegu, where the outbreak has hit hardest. But there are signs the virus is spreading with dozens of cases in Seoul and South Korea’s second-largest city, Busan.

Agencies contributed to this report