RIYADH: Saudi Arabia recorded five new COVID-19 related deaths on Tuesday, raising the total number of fatalities to 6,618.
The Ministry of Health confirmed 410 new confirmed cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, the second consecutive day that the daily cases exceed the 400 mark. A total of 385,834 people have now contracted the disease.
On Monday the Kingdom recorded a four-month high in daily confirmed coronavirus cases, with 404 new infections.
The figure is considered a record daily toll in the country, which has been reporting daily infections that are less than 400 since November.
#الصحة تعلن عن تسجيل (410) حالة إصابة جديدة بفيروس كورونا (كوفيد-19)، وتسجيل (5) حالات وفيات رحمهم الله، وتسجيل (366) حالة تعافي ليصبح إجمالي عدد الحالات المتعافية (375,165) حالة ولله الحمد. pic.twitter.com/S8asGp8cpQ
— و ز ا ر ة ا لـ صـ حـ ة السعودية (@SaudiMOH) March 23, 2021
The Transport General Authority said on Tuesday that all public transport employees in the Kingdom, including train and bus drivers, need to either have received the COVID-19 vaccine or present a negative PCR test every seven days at the expense of the establishment they work for, starting from May 13.
The Ministry of Sports also issued a similar announcement, saying the same applies for all employees and workers at gyms and sports centers across the country.
The ministries said the decisions were issued in an effort to take all necessary anti-coronavirus precautionary measures in the Kingdom, with the aim of protecting public health, particularly with activities and situations where it is difficult to maintain social distancing, and “to return to normal life in the near future.”
Of the total number of new confirmed cases on Tuesday, 4,051 remain active and 617 in critical condition, the health ministry said, adding that these numbers have also seen a significant rise over the past two days.
According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in the capital Riyadh with 159, followed by the Eastern Province with 80, Makkah with 71, the Northern Borders Province recorded 23 and Hail confirmed 14 cases.
The ministry also announced that 366 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 375,165.
The ministry renewed its call on the public to adhere to the measures and abide by instructions.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance temporarily closed 11 mosques in four regions after some worshippers tested positive for coronavirus.
A total of 347 mosques have been closed in the last 44 days, 332 of which have since reopened after being sterilized to ensure the safety of the public.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected over 124 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 2.73 million.
