Saudi Arabia: Compulsory COVID-19 vaccine for all transport workers
Decision covers all workers in public transport services, including train and bus drivers
Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s Public Transport Authority on Tuesday announced that the COVID-19 vaccination will be mandatory for all workers in public transport services as of May 13, local media reported.
The authority said that all workers and drivers in public transport services, including drivers of trains and buses, will be given the vaccine.
Those who do not comply with the new rule are required to submit a negative PCR test every seven days at the expense of the institution they are working for.
The authority instructed all operators of public transport to start vaccinating their employees before the date of mandatory enforcement of the new rule.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health said that coronavirus vaccines are available at all immunisation centres across the Kingdom.
The inoculation centres continue to receive citizens and expatriates to get the vaccine, and those registered on the Sehhaty application will be administered with the vaccine as per their scheduled dates.
More than 3 million people have taken the vaccine shot so far in Saudi Arabia, making up about 70 per cent of citizens and residents who registered through the Sehhaty app to receive the dose.
The health ministry has decided to expand the scope of vaccination to all citizens and residents aged 16 and above, as part of its ongoing efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
The move comes in the wake of the recent rise in the daily reported coronavirus cases, with 410 cases registered in Tuesday, bringing the overall infections to 385,834. The death toll has gone up to 6,618 after five more fatalities were reported.