The number of cases of the deadly novel coronavirus in Saudi Arabia crossed the `150,000 mark on Friday after a rise in the new infection cases for the last 10 days in the kingdom, as per reports.
The Saudi Ministry of Health confirmed 4,301 new cases on Friday that took the total number of cases due to the virus outbreak to 150,292, with 1,184 deaths. The nation crossed over 100,000 cases on June 7.
COVID-19 Cases Rise in Saudi Arabia
The number of new infections has continued to rise in recent weeks, as authorities began phasing out restrictions on movement and travel on May 28. The restrictions were imposed in March to help curb the spread of the virus. Authorities announced last month that the nationwide curfew would be lifted completely on June 21, with the exception of the holy city of Mecca and Jeddah.
Saudi Arabia is considering drastically limiting numbers at the annual haj pilgrimage to prevent a further outbreak of coronavirus cases, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters earlier this month. Some 2.5 million pilgrims visit the holiest sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina for the week-long haj, a once-in-a-lifetime duty for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it. Saudi Arabia asked Muslims in March to put haj plans on hold and suspended the umrah pilgrimage until further notice.
Saudi Arabia's numbers are the highest in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which have recorded 366,677 cases and 2,072 deaths.
(With agency inputs)
