Riyadh, May 14: The Ministry of Health said yesterday that it had stopped the spread of coronavirus from Al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province to other parts of the Kingdom.
The virus had reached Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, but not further incidences have been reported.
“No new cases of the virus were found in any part of the Kingdom,” Dr. Ziad Al-Memish, undersecretary to the Ministry of Health for Public Health, told Arab News.
So far, the Kingdom has reported 24 cases of the virus, including nine fatal cases. The recent cases included two men aged 48 and 58.
The first patient, a 48-year-old man with multiple coexisting medical conditions, became ill on April 29, and is in stable condition, while the latter fully recovered and was discharged from the hospital May 3 after falling ill on April 6. Al-Memish said the ministry has taken all precautions against the spread of the disease.
However, he added that in keeping with the transparency policy, the ministry would keep the public informed of all developments in this matter.
Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of WHO’s Health Security and Environment, who visited the Eastern Province on Saturday, said the Kingdom has taken the coronavirus situation seriously and the Saudi Ministry of Health has initiated public health actions, including intensifying surveillance, initiating investigations and ensuring control measures are in place.
“One of the reasons why more cases have been identified in the Kingdom may be because they have gone ahead to strengthen their surveillance system and lab capacity and network,” he said. “We know that the disease is caused by a virus from a group called coronaviruses.”
He said one member of the coronavirus family is the SARS virus. This new virus is not the SARS virus. He said the virus has infected people since 2012.
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Coronavirus is ‘not spreading’
May 14, 2013
Saudi Arabia reports 1,344 new coronavirus cases
News Network
May 1,2020
Dubai, May 1: Saudi Arabia has reported 1,344 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 24,097, the Ministry of Health announced on Friday.
The ministry also announced 7 more deaths and 392 new recoveries, raising the total number of fatalities and recoveries to 169 and 3,55 respectively.
Out of the 1,344 new cases reported today, 282 were confirmed in Riyadh, 237 in Madinah, 207 in Makkah, 171 in Jubail and 124 in Jeddah in addition to 114 infections in Dammam.
Authorities continue to urge people to stay at home unless necessary despite having relaxed some restrictions and curfews at the start of Ramadan.
Citizens and residents are allowed to go out for necessary needs between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. but must adhere to precautionary measures such as wearing a face mask and maintaining social distancing practices.
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Coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia may reach 2 lakh, warns Minister
Agencies
April 8,2020
Riyadh, Apr 8: Saudi Arabia's health minister has warned the number of COVID-19 cases in the country could reach 200,000 in coming weeks.
As of Tuesday, the kingdom registered a total of 2,795 coronavirus infections, including 41 deaths.
"Within the next few weeks, studies predict the number of infections will range from a minimum of 10,000 to a maximum of 200,000," health minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah was cited as saying by the official Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia extended the duration of daily curfews in four governorates and five cities to 24 hours.
The kingdom imposed round-the-clock lockdowns in the capital Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran and Hofuf, the interior ministry said on Twitter.
The same measures were also imposed on the governorates of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif and Khobar, the ministry added.
Authorities had already sealed off the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, barring people from entering and exiting as well as prohibiting movement between all provinces.
Last month, Saudi Arabia suspended the year-round "Umrah" pilgrimage over fears of the coronavirus pandemic spreading to Islam's holiest cities.
Authorities are yet to announce whether they will proceed with this year's Hajj, scheduled for the end of July. Last week, authorities urged Muslims to temporarily defer preparations for the annual pilgrimage.
Last year, about 2.5 million people travelled to Saudi Arabia to take part in the Hajj, which all Muslims must perform at least once in their lives if able.
The Arab world's biggest economy has also closed down cinemas, malls and restaurants and halted flights as it steps up efforts to contain the virus.
King Salman has warned of a "more difficult" fight ahead against the virus, as the kingdom faces the economic double blow of virus-led shutdowns and crashing oil prices
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Saudi Arabia refunding visa fee to foreigners unable travel
Agencies
May 1,2020
Saudi Arabia has initiated refund of work visa fee to foreigners unable to travel to the Kingdom due to the suspension of international flights in the aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic.
Several work visas were cancelled, following which the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, in cooperation and coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced the refund. The cancellation and refunding of the stamped visas will be considered effective from the date of issuance of the royal decree on March 18, reported Saudi Gazette.
As a precautionary measure to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Kingdom suspended all international flight. The ministry of health in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday announced 1,325 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases and 169 recoveries. With this, the total number of cases in the Kingdom now stands at 21,402, while recoveries stand at 2,953, as on Wednesday reported KT.
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