As virus spreads, Saudi Arabia restricts pilgrimage numbers

With 39 deaths globally from a virus outbreak hitting hardest in Saudi Arabia, the government has begun relaying health advisories that children, the elderly, pregnant women and the terminally ill should stay home from this year’s Muslim pilgrimages to the holy city of Mecca. The pilgrimage for the Muslim hajj holiday, which this year falls in mid-October, annually draws about 3 million faithful from around the world to Mecca. Millions more come on pilgrimage before the hajj, with the pilgrimage season this year peaking in summer and autumn. The pilgrimage historically has been a global focal point for contagious diseases. A 2012 study of French pilgrims said more than 80% returned with respiratory symptoms, and 40% with flu-like symptoms. Pilgrimages to Mecca are a central tenet of the Muslim faith. Islam requires all Muslims with the means to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lives. Saudi Arabia said last week it was...