(Bloomberg) --Saudi Arabia took the rare step of suspending the umrah pilgrimage to Mecca for its citizens and residents in response to the coronavirus, a week after taking similar action toward foreigners. Saudi Arabia Expands Curbs on Religious Pilgrimage to CitizensThe United Arab Emirates, the Middle East’s business hub, will shut schools for four weeks. A pilot program for distance education will be implemented during the last weeks of the period. About 1,200 Israelis have been instructed to quarantine themselves after coming near an infected teenager. Mideast, North Africa Breakdown:Iran: 2,922 cases, including 92 deathsKuwait: 56Bahrain: 52Iraq: 30U.A.E.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 04, 2020 05:33 UTC