JEDDAH: Police took 130 people infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) into custody in four regions of the Kingdom for violating quarantine measures.
Saudi Arabia has imposed penalties on those who disregard regulations enforced to prevent the spread of the virus; they are either fined up to SR200,000 ($53,330), face up to two years in prison, or have both sanctions imposed. Legal measures have been taken against those arrested and they will be referred to the Public Prosecution.
The number of people arrested was reported by each region’s police media spokesman. In Madinah, Lt. Col. Hussein Al-Qahtani said that 53 people were arrested for violating quarantine instructions while infected with the virus. In Jazan, Maj. Nayef Al-Hakami reported that 54 people were arrested.
In the Northern Borders, Col. Mutaib Al-Khamis said that police had arrested five people, while in Tabuk, Col. Khalid Al-Ghabban said that 18 people had been arrested.
The penalties will be doubled for those who violate the regulations a second time. Non-Saudis who have committed such violations will face deportation and a permanent ban from entry into the Kingdom.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Health recorded 1,144 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total national number to 456,562 with a total of 1,253 who have recuperated, making a total number of recoveries of 439,459.
The Kingdom’s current recovery rate is holding steady at 96.2 percent.
The region with the highest number of cases is Makkah at 374, followed by the Riyadh region at 271 and the Eastern Province at 147. The region with the lowest rate is Jouf with only two cases.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Saudi Arabia recorded 1,144 new coronavirus cases on Saturday.
• The daily number of COVID-19-related deaths reached 16 in the past 24 hours.
• About 15 million vaccines have been administered to date at a rate of 42.5 doses per 100 people.
The daily number of COVID-19-related deaths reached 16 in the past 24 hours, raising the national mortality rate to 7,440.
The number of active cases has declined to below the 10,000 case mark, again due to the high daily recovery rate. As of Saturday, there are 9,663 active cases but critical cases remain high with 1,539 patients reported in ICUs, an increase of 11 patients in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, about 15 million vaccines have been administered to date at a rate of 42.5 doses per 100 people. A total of 42.5 percent of the Kingdom’s 34.8 million have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine so far.
As for PCR tests, 83,768 were conducted, raising the total number of tests in the Kingdom to more than 19.6 million so far.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has reopened seven mosques in four regions after being temporarily shut down for disinfection, raising the total number of disinfected mosques within 119 days up to 1,500.
The ministry reminded worshippers and staff to adhere to the instructions for preventative measures when visiting the mosques by wearing masks, bringing their own rugs and keeping physical distances.
