MOH spokesman, Dr. Muhammed Al-Abdulaali, said that over the past 3 months, fluctuations in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Kingdom were observed. This requires everybody to be careful and adhere to the precautionary measures during the coming phase, which will be an extremely crucial one. The same is true for critical cases.
Regarding the COVID-19 vaccine in the Kingdom, the total number of doses given at various vaccine centers in the Kingdom is estimated to be 9,540,336. More than 590 centers have provided the vaccine. Furthermore, more dates will be opened for individuals to receive the vaccine over the coming period. Moreover, individuals over the age of 75 will be considered a top priority, without the need to book an appointment in advance. Dr. Al-Abdulaali added that undergoing the swab before receiving the vaccine is unneeded.
Al-Abdulaali revealed that 937 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the Kingdom, bringing the total cases to 419,348. These include 9,705 active cases, still receiving medical care. Their health status is mostly stable, with the exception of 1351 critical cases.
The MOH spokesman made this statement in the COVID-19 briefing held on Sunday, which also hosted the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) spokesman, Mr. Abdurrahman Al-Hussein and Mr. Ahmed Al-Majid, Deputy Minister of Society Development at Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.
Dr. Al-Abdulaali mentioned that 1,120 new COVID-19 recoveries were reported, bringing the total number of recoveries to 402,664 to date. 11 new mortalities were also reported, bringing the total number of COVID-19 mortalities in the Kingdom to 6,979. Health services are still provided by all MOH centers and facilities. ‘Taakkad’ centers have conducted 9,481,702 swabs, and ‘Tetamman’ clinics have served 2,505,420 outpatients. They have also provided health and medical consultations to 34,182,073 beneficiaries through the (937) call center. Moreover, the total number of COVID-19 tests conducted has amounted to 17,043,238.
For his part, the MOC spokesman, Mr. Abdurrahman Al-Hussein, stressed the importance of eliminating the four following practices that lead to crowding inside and outside facilities: Commercial competitions that require attendance, store and market opening ceremonies, inviting celebrities and influencers, and new product or service launch events.
Furthermore, facilities that do not provide a safe shopping environment for their customers will be subject to penalties, as well as influencers calling for gatherings. “In Shaaban and Ramadan, 11 shopping malls were closed, including a mall in Tabuk that allowed 10,000 shoppers to enter, which does not comply with the permitted capacity. Moreover, two malls in Arar and Najran hired two SnapChat influencers to call on customers to visit their premises, which resulted in the number of shoppers exceeding 4,000 at the mall, and it was eventually closed. A shopping mall in Al-Baha also hired influencers to take part in an opening ceremony and distribute gifts,” MOC spokesman stated.
The Ministry has also referred 18 SnapChat influencers to the concerned authorities for their lack of compliance with the precautionary measures and calling for large gatherings. They included an influencer who did not adhere to the precautionary measures and called on shoppers to gather at shopping malls, causing 6 facilities to violate the measures, and 2 facilities in Arar to be closed.
Furthermore, control teams have carried out more than 171,000 control rounds in Shaaban and Ramadan to observe violations, and more than 5,800 establishments were found to violate the measures and regulations.
Over the coming period, consumers’ demand is expected to increase on Eid Al-Fitr goods, such as clothes, gold, jewelry, and sweets. And to avoid crowding, the ministry has 3 tips for consumers: Avoid shopping at peak hours (9PM - 2AM), do your shopping at different times (morning or afternoon), and shop on reliable online stores. This would reduce waiting time at cashiers by 90%, from 30 minutes to only 3 minutes.
Malls and markets have been directed to close their entrances in case the maximum capacity of shoppers is reached. Customers who want to enter the premises will be informed that the maximum capacity is reached to avoid any crowding outside. Malls are also obligated to use the gathering barcodes on ‘Tawakkalna’ application to control the number of shoppers inside, as well as prevent crowding at entrances and exits.
For his part, Mr. Ahmed Al-Majid said that as the last 10 days of Ramadan start, and the time for Zakat Al-Fitr approaches, the Ministry of Human Resources would like to introduce the national donations platform ‘Tabbaroa’, an official platform for donations. It was established by a decision of the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development as an ideal way to link donors to people in need, easily and transparently.
Based on the slogan (We’re All Responsible), the Ministry has harnessed the national platform for donations ‘Tabbaroa’ to further reinforce implementing the precautionary measures, by linking donors with beneficiaries through high-tech digital procedures.
Since the National Donations Platform was established last Ramadan, the platform has delivered help to hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries with ease and strict adherence to the precautionary measures.
Additionally, out of the Ministry of Human Resources’ sense of responsibility and understanding the role it plays, it launched the (Zakat from your Home) initiative. This initiative allows donors to pay Zakat Al-Fitr through the platform in a digital, risk-free manner, in accordance with the precautionary measures. Users can pay their Zakat any time and the platform ensures it's delivered to beneficiaries at the time specified by Sharia, with the approval of the Council of Senior Scholars.
The platform has a great ability and capacity for distributing donations inside and outside the Kingdom, in cooperation with King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief). This will contribute to easing crowding in markets, in addition to reducing direct contact with Zakat Al-Fitr sellers.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Development has considered all procedures regarding the payment of Zakat Al-Fitr, starting with the religious aspect by obtaining the legal fatwa permitting the payment of Zakat Al-Fitr sums through the platform from the start of Ramadan. The platform will also include the best digital technologies. Mr. Ahmed Al-Majid also stated that Zakat Al-Fitr distribution service was assigned to the best NGOs, based on records of supervision and governance. He called on everyone to benefit from the National Donations Platform's services and pay their Zakat electronically for the platform to deliver it to beneficiaries on the specified legitimate dates.