Police officers wear masks at Baghdad Airport, Iraq, Wednesday, March 4, 2020. From religion to sports, countries were taking drastic and increasingly visible measures to curb the new coronavirus that first emerged in China and was spreading quickly through Europe, the Mideast and the Americas. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
March 4, 2020
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March 4, 2020 12:23 p.m.
Virus halts pilgrimages to Mecca, Friday prayers in Iran
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The coronavirus outbreak disrupted Islamic worship in the Middle East as Saudi Arabia on Wednesday banned its citizens and other residents of the kingdom from performing the pilgrimage in Mecca, while Iran canceled Friday prayers in major cities.