Coronavirus: Saudi father and son’s handshake ends in death

Health ministry implores people to keep safe distance from elderly parents as cases increase in kingdom

People spend time at the seafront promenade in the Saudi port city of Jeddah as the country reopens following the lifting of a lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. AFP

People spend time at the seafront promenade in the Saudi seaport of Jeddah. AFP

A man walks at the seafront promenade in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. AFP

Saudi youths ride bicycles at the seafront promenade in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. AFP

A hairdresser clad in face shield and mask cuts a client's hair at a women's salon in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP

A hairdresser clad in face shield and mask blow-dries a client's hair at a women's salon in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP

Mask-clad men walk along the promenade of Tahlia street in the centre of Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP

Mask-clad clients wait for their table to be sanitised upon arriving at a cafe in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP

A worker sanitises a table for clients at a cafe in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP

A waiter takes orders from clients at a cafe in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP

A mask-clad waiter takes orders from clients at a cafe in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP

Cars drive down King Fahad boulevard after the authorities eased some of the lockdown measures that had been imposed in a bid to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, in the Saudi capital Riyadh. AFP

Cars drive along King Fahad boulevard after the authorities eased some of the lockdown measures that had been imposed in a bid to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus, in the Saudi capital Riyadh. AFP

Workers wearing protective face masks work on a road after authorities eased some of the measures that had been imposed in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus, in the Saudi capital Riyadh. AFP

A volunteer checks the temperature of a man as he arrives to perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in the Saudi holy city of Makkah. AFP

Worshippers, keeping a safe distance from one another, perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in the Saudi holy city of Makkah. AFP

A simple handshake between father and son ended in tragedy after the coronavirus spread rapidly through their family and caused the elder man's death.

In a series of cautionary tales to highlight the continuing risks of Covid-19, the Saudi Health Ministry highlighted the human cost of widespread disregard for social distancing in the kingdom.

The citizen also infected his mother and 16 other members of the family in the same city, the Saudi Health Ministry said on Friday.

The incident occurred because of “hand shaking and lack of adherence to precautionary measures”.

When visiting parents, “leave distance between you and them, don’t kiss them, and wear a mask”, Health Minister Tawfiq Al Rabiah tweeted.

“Don’t boycott them but do not come too close.”

Saudi authorities have been imploring people to abide by coronavirus containment measures as the country faces sharp increases in confirmed infections, with deaths officially passing 1,500 at the weekend.

The latest official data released on Sunday showed that 40 more people in Saudi Arabia died from the coronavirus and 3,989 more people were infected.

Last week, authorities announced that the number of pilgrims allowed to perform Hajj this year would be limited to "thousands" of people already in the kingdom, a tiny fraction of the 2.5 million who attended last year.

Worshippers perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, after authorities eased lockdown measures that had been imposed in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus. AFP

Worshippers gather for the dawn prayer at a mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah. AFP

A volunteer checks the temperature of a man as he arrives to perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah. AFP

A volunteer checks the temperature of a man as he arrives to perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in Makkah. AFP

The World Health Organisation praised the move, which came as a disappointment to many Muslims hoping to participate this year.

“This is another example of the hard choices all countries must make to put health first,” WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“We understand that it was not an easy decision to make. And we also understand it is a major disappointment for many Muslims who are looking forward to making their pilgrimage this year.”

The measures, announced last Monday, came after Saudi Arabia took steps including lockdowns, travel restrictions, closing borders, closing venues and shutting schools, offices and universities to limit the spread of Covid-19.

The number of confirmed deaths in the kingdom stands at 1,551 people, with 182,493 cases registered since the start of the outbreak.

In Iran, the country that has been hit hardest by the virus in the Middle East, face masks will become mandatory in some public areas, President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday.

Tehran has held back from enforcing full lockdowns, even as cases continued to rise, and the use of masks and protective equipment has been optional in most areas.

Iran reported its first Covid-19 cases on February 19 and has since struggled to contain the outbreak as the death toll crossed 10,500 and the number of infected reached more than 220,000 on Sunday.

Official figures have shown new confirmed cases have risen daily since early May, when Iran hit a near two-month low in daily recorded infections.

Worldwide, cases exceeded 10 million after a sharp rise in new infections in the US and record daily highs in India.

The US accounts for more than a third of the global tally, with cases now topping 2.6 million and deaths exceeding 128,000.