COVID-19: Deliberate transmitters of infection face jail, hefty fines in Saudi Arabia

Cairo: Saudi authorities have warned that those who deliberately transmit infection to others face a heavy fine and jailing as the kingdom battles to control the spread of the novel coronavirus. Saudi Arabia so far has reported a total of 54,752 cases of the highly contagious disease, including 312 deaths.

The Saudi Interior Ministry said that deliberate transmitters of infection face up to five years in prison or a fine of maximum 500,000 riyals or both - penalties that will double in case of repetition.

Non-Saudi offenders face deportation and a ban on re-entering the country after serving the penalty, the Saudi news agency SPA reported.

Saudi Arabia plans to enforce a round-the-clock nationwide curfew next week for five days including Eid Al Fitr starting from Ramadan 30 in an attempt to stem the spread of the coronavirus.