Manama: Saudi Arabia reimposed a curfew in Jeddah for 15-days starting on Saturday, from 3 pm to 6 am, state news agency SPA reported
The Ministry of Interior reinstated several other restrictions on the Red Sea city due to the spread of the coronavirus. Mosques will be closed once again. Dining at restaurants or cafes and in-person attendance at workplaces are suspended for the next two weeks, SPA said. Gatherings of more than five people are also banned.
Employees of ministries, government agencies and private sector companies in the city will not work from the office.
Domestic flights and trains will continue to operate and people can enter and exit the city outside of the curfew hours.
The curfew does not apply to essential workers who were previously exempted.
Saudi Arabia has been witnessing a spike in coronavirus cases and related deaths for the past weeks. It was the sixth straight day that the daily caseload is hovering at 1,800. The country recorded 2,591 new coronavirus cases and 31 more deaths on Friday. The total number of infections reached 95,748.
Saudi Arabia remains the worst-hit country in the six nation Gulf in terms of coronavirus cases and number of deaths. The death toll in Saudi stood at 642– which is 49.27% of the GCC’s casualties.
The country began easing restrictions in late April to coincide with Ramadan. As cases surged in May, the kingdom introduced a 24-hour curfew during the five-day Eid al-Fitr holidays.
To further curb the spread of the virus, the Ministry of Interior announced hefty fines for quarantine violators in early May and the formation of a special police unit to clamp the new regulations.
As part of its three phase strategy to return to normalcy, Saudi Arabia relaxed many restrictions and re-opened mosques and revoked travel restrictions. Gatherings of more than fifty people were also allowed. The guidelines were also revised last Sunday which includes fines for not observing the preventive measures, including failing to wear face masks properly, or failing to observe social distancing or refusing to have their temperatures taken.
According to Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Mohammed Al-Aly, there had been an alarming rise in the number of critical coronavirus patients in recent days. Majority of them were elderly or had underlying chronic conditions and tended to be from Jeddah or the capital Riyadh.
The interior ministry said that the number of critical cases in Riyadh is being observed and appropriate action will be taken.
