Saudi imposes 24-hour curfew in several cities including Riyadh, Dammam

Saudi Arabia has imposed a 24-hour curfew in several cities across the kingdom including capital Riyadh to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The curfew will be effective in all parts of the cities of Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran, and Hafouf as well as throughout the governorates of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif and Khobar for a period of 24 hours a day, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, citing an official source at the Ministry of Interior.

Under the curfew, entry into and exit from these areas has been banned until further notice, starting Monday. The ban does not extend to those already exempted, including employees of vital sectors in government and private sectors.

Residents of the cities and governorates under curfew are allowed to leave their homes only for essentials such as health care and food supplies, within the districts in which they reside, during the period from 6am until 3pm every day.

Only one person – an adult – is allowed to step out of the house in addition to the driver.

In terms of commercial establishments, only pharmacies, food supply stores, gas stations, banking services, maintenance and operation, technicians of plumbing, electricity and air conditioning, water delivery services and sanitation tanks, will be allowed to operate.

A task team at the Ministry of the Interior will periodically review the excluded activities and provide updates, the SPA report said.

The Ministry of Interior urged all citizens and residents to use delivery services for food and medicine needs to ensure they stay at home.

It also called on everyone to follow the instructions and adhere to isolation measures for the public interest.

The kingdom has reported 2,605 coronavirus cases so far, out of which 38 have died and 551 patients have fully recovered.

The country has been taking several precautions and had already imposed curfews in parts of the country including Makkah and Madinah. It has also suspended all flights in and out of the country and also imposes restrictions on public transport.