The cleaners were busy disinfecting the Great Cathedral in Mecca, but the believers showed no fear of having God's protection.

Saudi Arabia, home to some of the holiest places in Islam, announced on February 27 that it would stop issuing visas to foreign pilgrims visiting it, in an unprecedented move to stop the Covid-19 epidemic. spread.

This decision by Saudi Arabia has caused tens of thousands of people to be confused, even the plan to organize the annual haji pilgrimage scheduled to take place in July has become quite vague.

Nadia Bettam, 50, Algerian, was lucky to be in Mecca 5 days before the surprise decision of the Saudi authorities.

"I'm not afraid. Our destiny is decided by God," Bettam said through his veil on his first pilgrimage to Mecca and his sister Fatima. "The issue we are concerned with is worship, but we also take precautions."

Saudi Arabia has so far not reported any cases of nCoV, but throughout the Middle East, fears of the Covid-19 epidemic are rising. Yesterday, the country banned citizens from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from moving to Mecca and Medina in fear of spreading the virus.

GGC includes Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Citizens of this organization are allowed to enter Saudi Arabia with ID cards without visas like other countries.

The cathedral in Mecca was still packed with followers yesterday, a testament to the fact that religion often conquers fears about health, but is also a challenge for Saudi Arabia in disease control.

The floor of the cathedral is cleaned four times a day and 13,500 carpets are placed in areas for prayer followers who are regularly washed, according to the SPA. Jaber Wadani, the representative of the mosque, said "sanitary and disinfection measures" are in place, with all carpets being scrubbed daily. Group of cleaning staff wearing green masks to clean the floor with disinfectants such as chlorine.

Facemasks are very helpful in preventing infectious diseases, said Robina Mahmoud, head of a group of 105 pilgrims from the Netherlands. Her team is also taking preventive measures like washing their hands regularly.

"That will certainly protect us, but the rest is in the hands of God," she said.

In the center of the cathedral, the area surrounding the rectangular Kaaba building was packed with thousands of devotees, most wearing masks. Three pharmacies around the cathedral said they ran out of items.

"The demand for masks in the past two days is unprecedented," a Syrian physician said. "I sold 200 boxes in 3 days, although it took months before it sold out."

However, other businesses suffered losses after the decision to suspend visas for foreign pilgrims.

"Pilgrim groups have canceled hotel rooms," said Mahfouz, an Egyptian who works as a freelance tourist service. "I'm still calculating the damage".

Year-round pilgrimage of the followers creates an important source of income for the Saudi government. The country is estimated to receive 30 million annual religious visitors by 2030.

Along with the ban on foreign pilgrims, Saudi Arabia also suspended the issuance of electronic visas for people from seven countries, including China, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Kazakhstan. Visitors with a tourist visa are not allowed to visit Mecca and Medina.

Officials insisted the measures were temporary, but it was unclear how long they would last. "We receive hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every month from different countries around the world," an official said. "If nCoV comes here and spreads, it will be a global pandemic. Everyone's safety is more important than the ceremony."

However, many believers appear tough. "Why are we afraid when we are in God's house," said Hossam Aldin, 21, of Turkey. "Even if I'm infected, martyrdom is a good thing here."