RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Thursday suspended foreigners' entry for the Umrah pilgrimage and tourism from countries where the new coronavirus has spread, as a growing number of cases outside China deepened fears of a pandemic.
The United States and South Korea announced the postponement of joint military drills, as Taiwan raised its epidemic response alert to the highest level.
The number of new coronavirus infections inside China - the source of the outbreak - was for the first time overtaken by new cases elsewhere on Wednesday, with Italy and Iran emerging as epicentres of the rapidly spreading illness.
South Korea reported another 334 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, pushing the total to 1,595, the most in any country other than China.
Asia reported hundreds of new cases, Brazil confirmed Latin America's first infection and the new disease - labelled Covid-19 - was also detected for the first time in Pakistan, Sweden, Norway, Greece, Romania and Algeria.
China reported 433 new cases on Thursday, against 406 a day earlier.
US health authorities reported the first possible case of community transmission in the United States involving someone who had no relevant travel history or exposure to another known patient.
Saudi Arabia, which hosts the two holiest sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina, welcomes millions of Muslim visitors throughout the year with a peak for the haj pilgrimage. It introduced a new tourism visa last October for 49 countries.
The ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement that the suspensions were temporary but provided no timeframe for their expiry. It was unclear if the haj pilgrimage, which is scheduled to begin in late July, would be impacted.
Entry is also suspended for visits to the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.
Saudi Arabia has had no cases of the coronavirus but it has been spreading in some neighbouring countries.
The ministry did not specify people from which countries would be impacted but said the kingdom's health authorities would determine where the outbreak constituted a danger.
US health authorities, managing 59 cases - mostly Americans repatriated from a cruise ship in Japan - have said a global pandemic is likely. However, President Donald Trump told Americans on Wednesday that the risk remained "very low", and placed Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the US response.
Taiwan has logged 32 cases of the coronavirus and one death, and has largely suspended travel and tourism links with China to curb its spread.
