Saudis urged to postpone Lebanon trips over coronavirus

By Youssef Hussein

BEIRUT (AA) – Saudi Arabia on Saturday called on its citizens to postpone travel to Lebanon over fears of the novel coronavirus.

In a statement, the Saudi Embassy in Beirut urged citizens to "postpone unnecessary travel plans to Lebanon in order to preserve their safety".

It called on Saudi citizens in Lebanon to avoid crowded places and pursue the declared health measures for protection against the virus.

On Friday, Lebanese health authorities reported the fourth case of coronavirus in the country.

Known as COVID-19, the novel coronavirus has now spread to more than 45 countries worldwide, including the U.S., U.K., Singapore, France, Russia, Spain and India.

China, where the virus originated, is the worst-hit country, where 2,837 deaths were reported.

* Bassel Ibrahim contributed to this report from Ankara