King Salman has ordered the partial lifting of the curfew across Saudi Arabia, with the exception of the holy city of Makkah and adjacent places previously isolated after a COVID-19 outbreak.
A royal decree carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) earlySunday said the curfew is off from 9 o’clock in the morning to 5 o’clock in theafternoon, from April 26, 2020 to May 13, 2020.
Makkah and its neighborhood shall remain under 24-hourcurfew, the decree said.
The new order was based on recommendations of relevanthealth authorities to enable the return of some economic activities and torelieve citizens and residents.
Allowed to reopen starting 6 Ramadan 1441 AH (April 29 inthe Gregorian calendar) until 20 Ramadan 1441 AH (May 13, 2020) are wholesaleand retail trade stores, as well as commercial centers or malls.
Construction companies and factories are also allowed toresume their activities “without restrictions on time, according to thenature of their business.”
Not allowed to open are centers “that do not achievephysical distance, including: beauty clinics, barber salons, sports and healthclubs, recreational centers, cinemas, beauty salons, restaurants, cafes andother activities determined by the competent authorities.”
The decree instructed authorities responsible for monitoringeconomic, commercial and industrial activities to ensure that the precautionaryand preventive measures approved by the Ministry of Health and other competentauthorities are complied with.
Law enforcers are also instructed to ensure that”social distancing” is observed at all times, and that socialgatherings involving more than five people, such as wedding events and partiesshall remain disallowed.
The decree reminded the public that the prescribed penaltieswill be imposed on violators and facilities that violate the regulations andinstructions will be closed according to established procedures.
Since COVID-19 was first discovered in Wuhan, China latelast year, Saudi Arabia has reported 16,299 COVID-19 cases, including 136deaths. Some 2,214 patients were reported to have recovered so far.
Worldwide, the number of cases neared 2.8 millions and thenumber of deaths passed the 200,000 mark, with the US accounting for over53,000, or more than 25 percent of the total.