Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia to open shops as case numbers continue to rise

Businesses and factories resume operations despite trend of more than 1,000 infections daily in the kingdom

Sanitation workers disinfect the area around the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in Makkah, on the first day of the month of Ramadan, amid unprecedented bans on family gatherings and mass prayers because of the coronavirus. AFPShow less

Five more people died from the coronavirus in Saudi Arabia in the last 24 hours, and 1,325 new cases were recorded, officials said on Wednesday.

But businesses and factories reopened as part of easing of coronavirus bans to mitigate damage to the economy.

The latest tally brought the death toll from coronavirus in Saudi Arabia to 157 and total cases to 21,402.

The kingdom is the world’s top oil exporter and a major employer of migrant labour from the Levant and the rest of the world.

Citing significant lack of observance of coronavirus measures, Saudi Arabian officials have been warning that infection numbers could keep rising sharply.

At a press conference in Riyadh, Health Ministry spokesman Mohammad Al Abdulaali showed photos of people in public spaces in the kingdom whom, he said, were not observing social distancing rules.

Mr Al Abdulaali said it was crucial for the public to stick to the rules during Ramadan. The advent of the holy month has been partly behind the easing of bans on movement.

Saudi Arabian authorities have registered more than 1,000 cases of the coronavirus daily since April 17. Mass assembly is still not being allowed and the holy city of Makkah, which has the most cases in the kingdom, remains under a 24-hour curfew.

A spokesman for the trade ministry said businesses started reopening on Wednesday, but that the authorities will monitor for price gouging, citing 5,000 citations for violations since the coronavirus hit.

Abulrahman Hussein said working hours are mostly restricted to between 9am to 5pm and that children and the elderly should stay away from the now open shops and malls.

All factories have been also allowed to resume production, officials said. Out of 9,000 factories in Saudi Arabia, 3,000 were deemed as vital and were exempted from the coronavirus closures. The restrictions were lifted this week on the remaining 6,000 factories.

Bans on movement have been eased across the GCC, but most countries in the region have been building makeshift hospitals and quarantine compounds, indicating that they do not expect the contagion to subside any time soon.

Kuwait announced 300 new cases of the coronavirus and one more death, bringing total cases to 3,740 and the number of people who died to 24.

Omani authorities said that the national airline, Oman Air, made eight unscheduled flights this month to India and China, bringing back 25 tonnes of essential medical supplies. Official data puts the cases in Oman at 2,227 and deaths at 10.