Manama: Saudi Arabia imposed a 24-hour curfew in the capital city Riyadh and a several cities and governorates on Monday in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19), as the number of deaths rose to 38.
The full-day curfew came to effect immediately in the cities of Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran and Al-Hofuf and the governorates of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif and al-Khobar, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement carried on the official Saudi Press Agency. The curfew will continued until further orders, ministry said. The ban on entry and exit between cities will continue.
The curfew does not apply to essential workers who were previously exempted. Residents are allowed to leave their homes only for essential needs such as food and medical, within their residential area from 6 am to 3 pm, ministry added. Only one passenger is allowed in a car.
All commercial activities were closed, except for pharmacies, food groceries, gas stations and banks, the Ministry of Interior said.
These cities and governorates will entirely be under lockdown around-the-clock. They were earlier under a partial curfew. The government decided to clamp full day curfew as the kingdom witnessed an escalation in coronavirus infection and fatalities. Saudi Arabia reported four more deaths from the virus and 220 infected cases on Monday alone.
The Saudi government has already lockdown Riyadh and Jeddah, which is still in effect, while other major cities have been subject to either a 3 pm or 7 pm curfew in recent weeks. Residents are still banned from entering or exiting the cities. Qatif governorate in the eastern province, where the kingdom’s first coronavirus cases were reported, has been on temporary lockdown since March 8.
Earlier on Sunday, Saudi authorities have imposed round-the-clock curfew in seven neighbourhoods in Jeddah. The authorities extended the curfew in the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina to 24 hours until further notice on last Thursday.
Saudi Arabia has registered 2,605 infections sofar, the most in the Arabian Gulf. In order to curb to spread of the virus, it has already halted international and domestic flights, suspended the Umrah pilgrimage, halted public transport, and closed public places.
