Cairo: Saudi authorities announced Tuesday imposing a 24-hour curfew in the governorate of Beesh in the south-western region of Jizan until further notice as part of efforts to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.
An official source at the Interior Ministry said that entry into or exiting the governorate will also be banned until further notice with an exemption made for employees of vital public and private sectors, the Saudi news agency SPA reported.
Residents are allowed on a limited scale to go outdoors to get their necessary needs of food and health care within their districts during the period from 9 am (10.00 UAE time) to 5 pm daily.
According to the latest restrictions that went into effect starting Tuesday, all commercial activities are banned in the governorate except those related to health care facilities, pharmacies, food stores, petrol stations, services of banking and maintenance. The decision was made on recommendations of health authorities, the source said.
Late last month, Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz ordered the partial lifting of a nationwide curfew imposed due to the coronavirus while keeping a 24-hour lockdown in the holy city of Mecca.
Saudi Arabia so far has reported a total of 41,014 infections including 255 deaths due to COVID-19.
