Saudi Arabia records 13,549 violations of COVID-19 precautions
Mecca registers highest number of violations at 3,192, Riyadh second with 2,326
Abu Dhabi: Saudi Arabia recorded 13,549 violations of measures against coronavirus over the past week, the Saudi ministry of Interior said on its Twitter account on Sunday.
The Mecca region recorded the highest number of offences at 3,192, followed by the Riyadh region 2,326, then Qassim 1,784, Medina with 1,773, the eastern region with 1,164, the northern border 796, and Hail 597. Asir recorded 465 offences, while Al Jawf 450, Tabuk 378, Jazan 309, Najran 204, and Al Bahah 111.
The Ministry of Interior stressed that citizens and residents must continue to adhere to the preventive measures and abide by the instructions issued by the authorities in this regard.
Violations include holding gatherings, moving between work areas without cleaning hands, handshaking, not complying with social distancing, not complying with temperature checks, failing to wear face masks, not using paper cups, attending work with a suspected infection or having COVID-19 symptoms, as well as many others.
For civil servants, the consequence of a first offence and any subsequent offences differ, with the consequences being more severe for those senior employees of a particular grade and above.
Sanctions vary from notice, deduction in salary, withholding of a periodic bonus, to a legal penalty.