Schools closed in parts of western Saudi Arabia on Tuesday due to sandstorm

Schools in the Makkah area and the Umm Al-Qura University are to remain closed on Tuesday. (File photo/Reuters)

JEDDAH: Schools in parts of Saudi Arabia will be closed Tuesday due to bad weather, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.
Schools in the Makkah and Madinah area will close, the local education board said, while Umm Al-Qura University will also be shut due to a sandstorm.
Whereas, educational authorities in Jeddah announced that schools will resume Tuesday in Jeddah, Rabigh and Khulais, stressing the importance of taking into account cases of asthma and chest diseases among students and all the staff.
Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Defense earlier said that sandstorms had severely restricted visibility in various areas of Makkah province on Monday, including Jeddah, Makkah, Bahra, and Al-Jamoum, as well as neighboring parts of the region.
“There is a near-total lack of horizontal visibility all over Jeddah,” the National Center for Security Operations tweeted.
The authorities urged caution, particularly while driving, and stressed that residents of the affected areas should avoid lingering near scaffolding, lampposts, umbrellas, trees, billboards and construction sites.
The Meteorology and Environment authority expected the sandstorms to subside by 4 p.m. on Monday.
Meanwhile, Jeddah Islamic Port tweeted saying that the navigation movement stopped at 11:30 a.m. “due to the increased speed of southeast winds which exceeded 36 knots, and the lack of horizontal vision visibility.”