His Excellency Minister of Health, Dr. Tawfik bin Fawzan al-Rabiah, has commended the colossal support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for the health sector in its fight against the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), as well as the Crown Prince’s keen interest in following up the situation. This embodies the thorough attention paid by the Kingdom’s leaders to the health and well-being of both citizens and residents, he said.
Al-Rabiah applauded the outcomes of the Council of Ministers session held on Tuesday under the chairmanship of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The Council reiterated that the provisional precautionary measures taken by the Kingdom are a continuation of the strenuous efforts aiming at achieving the maximum level of protection for both citizens and residents, as well as all guests who flock to the Kingdom to perform Umrah, visit the Prophet’s Mosque, or for tourist purposes.
According to the Council, those precautions are in line with the recommendations put forth by the Kingdom’s health authorities. They recommended applying the utmost precautionary measures and taking proactive actions towards preventing and controlling the COVID-19 spread nationally and internationally. Those measures, which are reviewed on a constant basis, are to be added to the Kingdom’s observance of, and commitment to the internationally approved measures meant to control the outbreak.
The Council of Ministers praised the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Health, together with the Ministry of Interior, the General Authority of Civil Aviation, among many other government agencies, in the fight against the outbreak. This includes defining the economic consequences and taking whatever actions necessary for addressing them.
Speaking to the Saudi Television yesterday, the Minister of Health reassured everyone that the Kingdom has a constellation of highly proficient COVID-19 experts. It is a global outbreak, he said, from which no country is immune. Nevertheless, there are several international research centers working on developing a COVID-19 vaccine, he added.
Dr. Al-Rabiah underscored the importance of following the health-awareness guidelines published on the Ministry's official social media accounts, in an effort to prevent and control COVID-19 infection transmission. In the meantime, he stressed, the high-level committee, formed by virtue of a Royal Decree, and designated to follow up the COVID-19 outbreak updates, will continue to convene on a daily basis, to review and update the recommendations and measures meant to control the outbreak. He called on everybody to contact the 937 Service Center for any inquiries about COVID-19.