LONDON: There have been 18,563 COVID-19 violations in Saudi Arabia since Jan. 25, according to the Ministry of Interior.
The Riyadh region recorded 4,852 breaches, followed by Makkah with 2,636, Qassim with 2,557, the Eastern Province with 2,348, Madinah with 1,829, and Jawf with 1,310.
The ministry called on the public to continue adhering to COVID-19 preventive measures and the instructions issued by authorities.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce said it carried out 4,306 inspection rounds during the past week and issued 417 violations.
Minister of Municipal, Rural and Housing Affairs, Majid Al-Hogail, directed the secretariats and municipalities in the various regions and governorates of the Kingdom to intensify their efforts to protect citizens and residents and limit the spread of the virus.
Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar stressed the need for people to adhere to all precautionary steps to limit the spread of the virus in the region, saying authorities had intensified an awareness campaign about the importance of complying with health and safety protocols.
He said that an operations room had been set up to bring together several sectors so that COVID-19 developments in the region could be followed.
The prince directed the sectors to intensify inspection tours to monitor all violations and implement instructions related to social gatherings, such as weddings, funerals, burials and prayers at mosques, to not exceed 50 people.
He urged people to use the Tawakkalna COVID-19 app when entering government facilities, private sector establishments and public places such as markets.
The Eastern Province Municipality said it had carried out 1,640 monitoring rounds over the last three days on commercial centers and food establishments in the region and issued 33 violations.
It sterilized and disinfected 2,074 sites across the region, cleared 23,170 tons of waste, and removed 13,335 cubic meters of rubble and debris. It ordered four shops to close and issued warnings to nine others in Ain Dar Center for violating coronavirus health requirements.
The municipality said that it had washed and sterilized 60 sites in the center, adding that it would continue to monitor all commercial and food establishments.
Fahad Al-Jubeir, mayor of the Eastern Province, said the municipality had begun implementing tighter precautionary measures and doubled the number of inspectors to monitor violations. He called on people to use the Tawakkalna app when entering public spaces.
Eastern Province Gov. Prince Saud bin Nayef on Sunday ordered the formation of a committee that includes government agencies to follow up on the implementation of precautionary measures and all health protocols through a command and control center that meets around the clock.
Prince Faisal bin Khalid bin Sultan, governor of the Northern Borders Province, said that all government and private agencies in the region should take the necessary preventive measures and monitor violations of non-compliance.
He praised the budgets allocated by the Kingdom’s leadership and the firm measures it had taken to limit the spread of the virus and mitigate its economic and social impact, adding that it was necessary to continue to implement the plans to limit its spread and intensify awareness and preventive efforts.
The Ministry of Trade’s branch in the Northern Borders Province said it carried out 285 monitoring inspections during the past week.
Asir Municipality said it had intensified inspection campaigns on public sites and venues such as wedding halls, markets, complexes and commercial centers in most governorates of the region. It said that, in the last 48 hours, it had found 53 out of 1,667 businesses to be non-compliant with the precautionary measures.
Hail Municipality said it had carried out 12,500 monitoring rounds on shops, commercial centers and wedding halls to ensure health requirements were implemented and to strengthen precautionary measures.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad, governor of Hail, directed all service and security sectors in the region to follow up and monitor all violations and to ensure that social gatherings adhered to guidelines.
Taif Municipality said it had carried out more than 20,000 inspections on health facilities, markets, shops, commercial centers, wedding venues and rest stops during January to ensure health requirements were implemented and to strengthen precautionary measures.
The governors of Jazan, Al-Baha, and Qassim also issued similar calls and directed the government and private sectors in their regions to take all necessary preventive measures and increase inspection tours.
Authorities called on the public to use the Tawakkalna app for live updates, to request movement permits, and to report any COVID-19 violations or by calling 940.