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Virus Forces Unprecedented Saudi Curbs on Holy Pilgrimage

A Muslim pilgrim wearing a face mask at the Grand Mosque in Mecca in Feb. — A Muslim pilgrim wearing a face mask at the Grand Mosque in Mecca in Feb.
Photographer: Abdel Ghani Bashir/AFP via Getty Images

By

Sylvia Westall and

March 4, 2020, 12:33 PM UTCUpdated onMarch 4, 2020, 2:16 PM UTC

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Saudi Arabia took the unprecedented step of suspending the Umrah religious pilgrimage for its citizens and residents, saying it wanted to prevent the coronavirus from spreading through the “intense flow” of crowds to holy sites.