RIYADH – Saudi Arabia has imposed partial curfew in the kingdom to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus as number of cases jumped to more than 500.
The decision, according to SPA news agency, is “based on the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s great care for the health and safety of citizens and expatriates”.
The curfew will start from seven in the evening until six in the morning for a period of 21 days from Monday evening (March 23).
The Ministry of Interior shall take the necessary measures to implement the curfew, and all civil and military authorities must cooperate fully with the Ministry of Interior in this regard, said an official statement.
“Exempt from the curfew are employees of the vital sectors of the public and private sectors whose work requires continued performance during the curfew period, and that includes employees of the security, military and media sectors, and workers in the sensitive health and service sectors, for which a detailed statement will be issued by the Ministry of Interior, bearing in mind that this shall be in the narrowest scope and in accordance with the procedures and controls set by the concerned authority,” it added.
The royal order to the concerned authorities included urging citizens to stay in their homes during the coming period, especially the period of curfew, and not to leave except in cases of extreme necessity in the period in which the prohibition does not apply, as preserving public health has become one of the most important duties for the people of this country and those residing on its land, and they must fulfill their duty by staying in their homes, and not to expose themselves and their country to the risk of the spread of this pandemic.
