Stricter measures are in public’s hands, say Saudi officials

Saudi Arabia administered nearly 4.9 million vaccine doses at a rate of 117,839 daily doses. (SPA)
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Updated 04 April 2021
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Stricter measures are in public’s hands, say Saudi officials

  • More than 15.2 million PCR tests have been conducted in the Kingdom since the beginning of the pandemic, 53,777 of which conducted in the past 24 hours

JEDDAH: With the sudden rise in confirmed in COVID-19 cases in the Kingdom, Saudi Arabia’s Public Security Department reminded residents to remain vigilant as stricter measures rely on the public’s adherence.
In a video published on the department’s Twitter account with a hashtag “The decision is in your hands,” the simple and straightforward video showed Saudi Arabia’s empty streets and the jarring image of the empty courtyard around the Kaaba during last year’s lockdown.
On Saturday, 684 cases were confirmed, raising the total number of cases to 392,009.
Riyadh was the region with the most new cases at 320, Makkah had 131 cases and the Eastern Province 98 cases. Baha reported only 4 new cases.
The number of active cases passed the 6,000 mark, 761 of whom are in critical care units, a rise of 26 cases in the past 24 hours.
In addition, 439 new recoveries were reported, raising the total number of cases to 379,312. The Kingdom’s recovery rate is currently 96.7 percent.

INNUMBERS

392,009 Total cases

379,312 Recoveries

6,690 Deaths

Six new COVID-19 related fatalities were reported, raising the Kingdom’s death tally to 6,690.
On the vaccine front, Saudi Arabia administered nearly 4.9 million doses at a rate of 117,839 daily doses. Nearly 14 percent of the Kingdom’s population of 34.8 million have received their vaccinations.
More than 15.2 million PCR tests have been conducted in the Kingdom since the beginning of the pandemic, 53,777 of which conducted in the past 24 hours.
Thirteen mosques have been temporarily shut down in the past 24 hours across seven regions due to confirmed cases amongst worshippers. In total, 454 mosques have been temporarily shut over a period of nearly 2 months; 430 have since reopened after completing the necessary sanitization process.


Two Holy Mosques authority launches smart interactive map system

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Two Holy Mosques authority launches smart interactive map system

MADINAH: A new smart interactive map system has been inaugurated for the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.

CEO of the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque Ghazi Al-Shahrani said that the smart interactive map facilitated the movement of visitors and worshipers while significantly enhancing navigational efficiency within the two holy mosques. The system is designed to guide visitors along the most suitable routes, support real-time updates, ensure safe navigation and enhance the overall quality of the experience.

Al-Shahrani said that the results achieved were part of the authority’s efforts to advance digital transformation and leverage smart technologies in serving pilgrims. He said that this system was one of dozens launched recently that contributed to generating operational data that supported decision-making, enhanced understanding of challenges and paved the way for developing future digital systems.

Interactive maps are part of a smart digital system that provides real-time spatial guidance, powered by live operational data linked to control rooms. This enables visitors to be directed to the most appropriate routes during closures or congestion, with immediate and accurate updates.

Executive vice president of digital transformation at the authority, Mohammed Al-Saqr, said that the pilot phase of the maps, which began during Ramadan, was integrated with the color coding and metric addressing system, which divided the Two Holy Mosques into clear geographical zones that supported smart operations and activated spatial data as part of an integrated services and analytics ecosystem. He said that this launch represented the first step in a project that would continue to evolve over the coming years, with further development planned through 2026.

Al-Saqr said that the system featured more than 950 points of interest across 13 service categories, supported by more than 650 QR codes for easy access. It could also generate more than 100,000 dynamic routes, automatically optimized in real time based on operational conditions and crowd flow.

Director of business solutions at the authority, Waheeb Al-Mutrafi, said that the maps enabled precise location-based reporting and contributed to accelerating access to electric carts through ticket numbers via a smart platform built on field data verified over several months, enhancing operational efficiency and improving the quality of services provided to worshippers.