The ministry added that the 11 Egyptians are in quarantine in Makkah.

Saudi Arabia detected 17 new cases of coronavirus, 11 of whom were Egyptians, state news agency (SPA) said on Friday. (Coronavirus outbreak: All the latest updates)

This brings the total of cases detected in the kingdom to 62, SPA added.

They include a Saudi citizen who had been in contact with someone who previously tested positive for the virus, and a resident who returned to the country from Portugal, via Turkey. Both patients are in isolation in Riyadh.

A Saudi who tested positive after returning from Iran, via Oman, is being treated at a hospital in Al Ahsa. The fourth case involves a Saudi woman who had been in Turkey for six days and then spent five days in Lebanon. She is now in isolation in Jeddah.

Two Saudi women who had travelled from Iraq are in quarantine in Qatif governorate, after testing positive for the virus without showing any symptoms.

In addition, another 11 Egyptians from a group that had been in contact with an infected visitor from their home country tested positive for the virus and are in quarantine in the holy city of Makkah. They also showed no symptoms. On Wednesday, it was revealed that another 21 people from the group have the virus.

Saudi suspended all social gatherings in wedding halls and hotels over coronavirus fears, the SPA reported quoting a source in ministry of interior.









With inputs from Reuters