Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman imposes evening curfew

Employees in vital sectors will be exempt from the measures

Moroccan police arrest a man who refuses to follow confinement measures in place as part of a state of emergency to combat the spread of coronavirus, Casablanca. AFP

A volunteer disinfects a shop in Baghdad's Bayaa neighbourhood. AFP

Moroccan armed forces in Rabat, Morocco. EPA

Two members of Red Crescent deliver meals for isolated people following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak at Khairan Resort, used as a quarantine centre, in Khairan, Kuwait. Reuters

View of confisicated hookahs (water pipe) in Cairo, Egypt. EPA

A child is seen wearing a mask embellished with petals in the central Iraqi holy city of Najaf amid the coronavirus pandemic. AFP

A driver wearing a protective mask drives a tram along Istiklal street, the main shopping street in Istanbul, amid the coronavirus outbreak, in Turkey. AP Photo

A Turkish Health Ministry employee displays materials for a rapid test kit for coronavirus at a laboratory in Ankara, Turkey. Reuters

Materials for a rapid test kit for coronavirus are displayed at a laboratory in Ankara, Turkey. Reuters

A father walks with his child along a deserted street during a curfew imposed as a measure to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus in Iraq's southern city of Basra. AFP

Member of the security forces, carrying disinfecting material, urge a driver along a deserted street to return home, in the central Iraqi city of Najaf. AFP

Members of the Syrian Violet NGO disinfect the streets of Syria's northwestern Idlib city. AFP

A member of the Syrian Violet NGO disinfects tents at a camp for displaced people in Kafr Jalis village, north of Idlib city. AFP

The empty old city during a daily curfew as part of precautions against coronavirus in Tunis, Tunisia. EPA

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has issued a curfew order to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, lasting for an initial period of three weeks from Monday.

It will apply every day from 7pm until 6am.

The Ministry of Interior called on civil and military authorities to co-operate fully with the measures, Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

Some workers will be exempt from the curfew. These include employees of vital parts of the public and private sectors whose work requires continued performance during the prevention period, the government said.

It also includes employees in the security, military and media, and those in relevant health and service sectors.

The ministry urged citizens to stay in their homes, especially during the curfew, and not to leave except in cases of necessity.

The Saudi Health Ministry said on Sunday that the total number of Covid-19 cases in the country had increased to 511, with 119 new patients.

Saudi Arabia has the most coronavirus cases in the GCC, at more than 1,700.

The ministry said 23,000 people had been tested for coronavirus and that 17 people were discharged from hospital after recovering.

Saudi Health Ministry spokesman Mohammed Abdelali said 72 of the new cases were Turkish nationals under quarantine in the holy city of Makkah.