Approximately two million Muslim devotees poured into the Islamic holy city of Mecca over the weekend to celebrate the hajj pilgrimage. However, Saudi authorities said the spread of the MERS respiratory virus across the Arabian Peninsula forced them to reduce the number of available visas for foreign pilgrims traveling to the kingdom for the celebrations.
According to statistics published by Al Jazeera, foreign attendance at the hajj dropped to 1.37 million, down from last year’s 1.75 million, due to the lower visa quotas.
The respiratory infection has killed 60 people globally and more than 50 in Saudi Arabia.