Cairo: A Saudi citizen, who recently returned to his hometown after contracting the new coronavirus, has transmitted the infection to his parents and 16 other members of the family, the Saudi Health Ministry said Friday.
The transmission came after the unidentified man returned from another town and failed to abide by precautions against COVID-19 including avoiding handshakes, the ministry added, according to the Saudi news agency SPA.
The man’s father, who had a heart problem, died due to COVID-19, it said without further details.
In recent weeks, the Health Ministry has ramped up efforts to raise public awareness about preventing the spread of the highly contagious disease, as the kingdom is gradually coming back to normal life.
The ministry particularly advises against shaking hands as a precaution to protect the elderly people, saying their weak immunity makes them susceptible to infection.
Saudi Arabia Friday reported 3,938 new cases of the new coronavirus, bringing to 174,577 the overall infection tally in the country. The Ministry also announced 46 deaths from COVID-19, raising the country’s total such fatalities to 1,474.
Earlier this week, Saudi authorities fully lifted a months-long curfew across the country and allowed all economic activities to resume according to a phased plan for returning to normal life.
However, restrictions on international air travel, the Umrah journeys and gatherings of over 50 persons remain in place as part of measures to stem COVID-19.
