Muslims in UAE urged to perform Eid al-Adha prayers at home

Riyadh, Jul 16: Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud bin Naif, minister of interior and chairman of the Hajj Supreme Committee, chaired a virtual meeting on Wednesday with the heads of  security agencies and officials in charge of this year’s Hajj season.

During the meeting, the minister and security officials discussed organizational issues related to Hajj, including preventive and precautionary steps related to fighting the coronavirus disease, procedures related to pilgrims commuting to the holy sites, and mechanisms to facilitate performing the Hajj rituals.

Prince Abdul Aziz confirmed abiding by the directives of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to take all precautions to preserve the safety of the pilgrims, and facilitate their performance of their Hajj rituals, according to the highest health standards to contain the new coronavirus pandemic.

Saudi Arabia has decided to allow only a limited number of domestic pilgrims to perform Hajj this year in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Only those expatriates between the ages of 20 and 50 who are not suffering from any chronic diseases can apply for the pilgrimage.

Earlier, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said that requests from people of 160 nationalities in the Kingdom have been screened electronically to select who will perform Hajj this year.

Of the pilgrims who will receive approval, 70 percent will be non-Saudis residing in the Kingdom and the remaining 30 percent will be Saudi citizens.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior said that anyone found entering the sites of Hajj (Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat) without a permit from July 18 till the end of Dhu Al-Hijjah 12 will be issued with a fine of SR10,000 ($2,600).

The fine will be doubled if the offence is repeated. Security personnel will be posted on roads leading to the holy sites to ensure that anyone who breaks the law will be stopped and fined.

Around 2.5 million foreign and domestic pilgrims performed Hajj last year.

Dubai, July 13: An explosion caused by a gas leak damaged a restaurant, and nearby shops at a residential building in Dubai on Monday morning. 

According to Brigadier Abdul Haleem Al Hashemi, Deputy Director of Al Qusais Police Station, the incident took place at 4am when the restaurant was closed.

No injuries were reported, but two nearby shops, a pharmacy, a salon and three cars were severely damaged.

"Dubai Police patrols were immediately dispatched to the scene and worked with Dubai Civil Defense to evacuate residents of the two-storey building as a precautionary measure," Brig Al Hashimi explained.

Preliminary investigations showed that the blast was caused by a gas leak, the officer said. The Crime Scene Department of the General Department of Forensics and Criminology in Dubai is studying the evidence collected from the site and will be preparing the final report on the accident.

Brig Al Hashimi urged restaurant owners to ensure that all safety and security systems at their outlets are in good condition. Regular maintenance checks should also be conducted on all pipes and gas regulators, especially during the summer season.

Dubai, Apr 22: Saudi Arabia's Health Ministry registered 1141 new Coronavirus cases, 172 new Recoveries and 5 new deaths in the last 24 hours by 22nd April 2020 (3:40 PM), Most of  the Corona infected patients are in stable condition, while 82 cases are on critical condition and are being treated in various hospital's Intensive Care Unit, All the confirmed and suspected cases are isolated and are being treated in the country, the Total Covid-19 cases as of Today are as follows
 
Infections : 12772
Recovered : 1812
Deaths : 114
Active Cases : 10846
Critical : 82

-  The Spokesperson of Ministry of Health said Total laborartory tests exceeded 200,000. 

-  You should continue to socialize and stay at home, especially for those aged 65 and over or who suffer from chronic diseases.

-  Half a million field assessments under active survey, 50 government agencies involved in anti-virus efforts, 150 field teams participating in the active examination in the Kingdom.

- The Health Ministry said, Maintaining hand-washing and keeping away from gatherings is an important step, and we should all be responsible.

- Worldwide Covid-19 infection details as of Today (22nd April) are

Infections : 2,580,729
Recovered : 693,093
Deaths : 178,371

- Among the 1141 new infections, most of the cases are on active survey results, 868 cases from new infections are discovered from active survey field testing. The city wise total active cases excluding recoveries and deaths by 22nd April are

Makkah : 2472
Madina : 1944
Riyadh : 1762
Jeddah : 1679
Dammam : 678
Hofuf : 507
Taif : 131
Tabuk : 128
Jubail : 97
Qatif : 73
Buraidah : 46
Khamis Musaith : 44
Khobar : 38
Dhahran : 36
Yanbu : 36
Khalis : 24
Ar Ar : 16
Khafji : 15
Ras Tanura : 12
Zulfi : 11
Onaiza : 9
Al Maqwat : 9
Al Dariya : 8
Al Kharj : 8
Samita : 8
Bisha : 7
Najran : 7
Al Khanfadah : 7
Hail : 6
Al Baha : 6
Sabit Alaya : 5
Muhayil Asir : 5
Ahad Rafidah : 4
Muwiya : 4
Ar Ras : 4
Al Qurayyat : 3
Al Muzilaf : 3
Sharura : 3
Al Jafar : 2
Al Lais : 2
Al Hanakiya : 2
AlMabraz : 2
Al Qawiya : 2
Al Tawal : 2
Al Misan : 2
Al Qariya : 2
Hada : 2
Rabig : 2
Sabia : 2
Saihat : 2
Azam : 1
Al Aiz : 1
Al Bakariya : 1
Al Dawadmi : 1
Al Majmaah : 1
Al Mada : 1
Al Shamli : 1
Al Ala : 1
Al Wajha : 1
Al Arida : 1
Beesh : 1
Diba : 1
Sakaka : 1
Sariban : 1
Sharura : 1
Riyad Al Khabra : 1