Manama: Saudi Arabia extended the nationwide curfew for an indefinite period to continue its measures to curb the spread of the deadly pathogen, coronavirus.
The coronavirus pandemic takes hold across the country with more than 300 new infections on each of the last four days.
Saudi Arabia reported 429 new cases of coronavirus and seven deaths on Sunday alone. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the Kingdom reached 4,462, of which 3,642 were active cases.
King Salman ordered the extension of curfew to prevent the spread of the pandemic, the official Saudi Press Agency reported quoting Ministry of Interior early Sunday.
The 21-day curfew that started on March 23 expired at midnight Saturday and the King ordered to extend it just before its expiry, SPA said. The extension is meant to ensure that the spread of the coronavirus would be placed under full control, it added.
Earlier March, the interior ministry said that the curfew would initially only last for 3 weeks, but the new announcement confirms the measures would be in place indefinitely.
The curfew across the Kingdom was initially from 7 pm to 6 am. It was then revised to 3 pm to 6 am from March 23.
Last week, Saudi Arabia clamped a 24-hour curfew in its capital Riyadh and other big cities after the rule against social distancing was observed to be wantonly ignored.
All earlier exemptions will be continued in this curfew too. All mobility would be restricted with special permits. Every governmental entity is required to issue permits for the staff of the private sector who are under its supervision. The concerned authority in the Interior Ministry would stamp these permits.
According to the new measure, the driver in a bus should have the permit, which includes the specified number of passengers, not to exceed (50%) of the passenger load, route, working times and details of necessary health requirements for the passengers.
Any violator would be fined SR10,000 in addition to other legal procedures. The new measures would be implemented in Riyadh starting Monday, the Interior Ministry sources said.
