According to the Assistant Minister of Health and MOH spokesman, Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdulaali, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has exceeded 50 million globally, with 32 million recoveries and over 1.2 million fatalities. He called on everyone to abide by the scientific recommendations, including wearing a face mask, maintaining a safe distance from others, and keeping rooms well ventilated.
He said that the isolation period starts immediately after having close contact with an infected person, pointing out that, since the beginning of the pandemic, the Kingdom’s commitment to precautionary measures is appreciated and praised worldwide.
The MOH spokesman made this statement during the COVID-19 briefing held on Sunday, which also hosted the Ministry of Commerce spokesman, Mr. Abdulrahman Al-Hussain.
Al-Abdulaali stated that 363 new confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the Kingdom; thus bringing the total number to 350,592 confirmed cases, including 7,666 active cases, receiving the necessary medical care. Of these, there are 757 critical cases, while the health condition of the rest is stable. Also, 420 new recoveries have been recorded, bringing the total recoveries to 337,386 cases, all praise is due to Allah.
About 40% of the new reported cases are females, and 60% are males. Only 4% of the cases are older persons, 11% are children, and 85% are adults. Also, 15 new deaths have been reported; bringing the total deaths to 5,540, May Allah bestow His mercy upon them. Moreover, 45,471 new Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests for COVID-19 have been conducted; bringing the total number to 8,494,327 PCR tests in the Kingdom’s laboratories.
He went on saying that MOH continues with providing the health services through its all centers and facilities, with 4,550,994 PCR tests at «Taakkad» Centers, 1,484,2555 patients served by «Tetamman» Clinics and 20,999,698 beneficiaries of the 937 Call Center.
For his part, the Ministry of Commerce spokesman said that the business sector is an important partner and commercial establishments have a great responsibility to protect society. We have noticed that some restaurants, coffee shops and commercial centers have been lax in implementing the precautionary measures, he said, adding that violators will be penalized immediately. The violations include the failure of cafes and restaurants to abide by the specified capacity, not obliging shoppers to wear a face mask and to maintain social distancing and noncompliance of workers with the preventive measures
Al-Hussain confirmed that the surge in the COVID-19 cases witnessing in many countries makes us more committed to the preventive measures so as not to lose what we have already achieved so far.
He said that the joint teams of the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Municipal Affairs continue their inspection tours to report any violation of the precautionary measures by commercial stores, affirming that there will be no compromise on the health and safety of both citizens and residents. Any facility that violates the measures will be fined SR 10,000 and closing the facility in case of repetition. As for the compliance with the specified number of shoppers and workers inside the store, the violator will be fined SR 5,000.
Al-Hussain advised consumers to abide by the preventive measures and avoid crowded areas to maintain their safety, pointing out that the ministry has obliged the commercial facilities to extend the period of sales and working hours to prevent congestion, as well as providing the discounted items online.
The preventive measures to be implemented by the private sector’s facilities, including commercial centers, restaurants, and cafes, are as follows: taking the temperature of workers and shoppers, allowing the specified number of shoppers in the store, placing signs and ground-mounted instructions, providing sanitizers and sanitizing utilities and surfaces. Also, shoppers are required to wear a face mask, to maintain social distancing and to follow signs and ground-mounted instructions, he added.