Saudi Arabia arrests 3 over fake COVID-19 medical reports

Cairo: Saudi police had arrested two Yemeni nationals and a Saudi citizen in the southern region of Najran over involvement in forging medical documents related to the new coronavirus, Saudi newspaper Okaz reported Wednesday, quoting a security official.

In investigation, the two Yemeni expatriates had admitted to having used the fake reports falsely stating they are free of COVID-19, spokesman for the Najran police Brig Abdullah Al Ashwi added.

Investigations also revealed that the reports had been forged by a Saudi man in his 30s in return for money. He was arrested later, the official said. "Legal procedures have been taken against them," he said without details.

In recent weeks, Saudi authorities have stepped up a crackdown on violations of regulations and precautions in place to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia has also expanded testing for the potentially fatal disease. Earlier this week, the Health Ministry launched round-the-clock clinics to examine those who display symptoms of the virus in the latest effort to limit the spread of the highly infectious disease.