Dubai: Saudi Arabia reported 24 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, raising the total number of recorded cases in the Kingdom to 62 on Friday, according to Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The ministry said that the cases involved 9 Saudi citizens and 14 Egyptians and a Bangladeshi, according to SPA.
The ministry added that the 14 Egyptians are in quarantine in Mecca.
Saudi Arabia, which has suspended the Umrah pilgrimage, halted flights to the European Union and 12 other countries, extending an earlier ban and giving Saudi citizens and residents 72 hours to return, state news agency SPA said.
The flight ban now includes many countries from where millions of Saudi Arabia's migrant workers hail.
Passenger traffic through all land crossings with Jordan was also suspended. Commercial and cargo traffic continued.
Saudi authorities asked people to avoid shaking hands and congregating in groups of more than 50. They announced that wedding halls and hotels would be closed to all social gatherings from Friday.
