Riyadh, Feb, 27 (BNA): The use of national identity cards to travel to and from Saudi Arabia has been temporarily suspended.

Under a set of decisions to help combat the spread of the coronavirus, Saudi Arabia said that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) citizens, who traditionally use identity cards, will have to use their passports to enter and leave the kingdom.

However, exceptions will be allowed for Saudi nationals who left Saudi Arabia by using their national identity cards, or GCC citizens already in Saudi Arabia and who had entered the kingdom through the use of their ID cards, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The use of passports will enable the authorities to consider which countries an individual had visited recently and to apply the relevant health procedures

Other measures taken by the Saudi authorities include the temporary suspension of entry to the Kingdom for the purpose of performing Umrah and/or visiting the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.

Entry to the Kingdom with a tourist visa from countries with confirmed Coronavirus outbreaks, according to criteria established by Saudi health authorities, is also temporarily suspended.

“The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms the Kingdom's resolve in combatting the spread of the virus through the relevant health authorities, by applying international standards and by supporting the efforts of countries and international organizations in their efforts to prevent the spread of the virus, especially the World Health Organization (WHO),” the ministry said in its stamen carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

“In order to achieve these goals, and ensure the highest degree of safety to residents in the Kingdom, relevant Saudi authorities have recommended precautionary measures to prevent Coronavirus from reaching the Kingdom.”

The ministry stressed that the measures were temporary and subject to continuous evaluation by the relevant authorities.

“Saudi Arabia reiterates its support for all international measures to limit the spread of this virus, and urges its citizens to exercise caution before traveling to countries with coronavirus outbreaks.”