Coronavirus prompts delay of court hearings in Saudi Arabia

Cairo: Saudi Arabia’s highest judicial body has decided to postpone court hearings as a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Justice Ministry said.

“According to a decision from the Higher Council for Justice, in line with precautionary measures and for safety of everyone, all court sessions will be postponed until further notice,” the ministry said in a tweet.

Hearing urgent cases is excepted from the decision.

“Remote trials and pleading will be activated,” the ministry added.

Saudi Arabia has confirmed 118 cases of the coronavirus so far.

The country has taken a raft of preventive measures including halting the Umrah trips. On Sunday, the kingdom began suspending international flights starting for two weeks as part of the precautions.