DUBAI- Uber said on Tuesday it was temporarily halting its services in several Saudi cities and governorates after a round-the-clock curfew was announced to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Uber will "pause" its services in the cities of Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran and Al-Hofuf, and the governorates of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif and Khobar, it said in an email to customers. The interior ministry has announced a 24-hour curfew in those areas.

Uber had already suspended the option to book regular taxi services through its app in Saudi Arabia until further notice.

(Reporting by Marwa Rashad; Writing by Yousef Saba; Editing by David Clarke) ((Yousef.Saba@thomsonreuters.com; +971562166204))