Coronavirus: Riyadh sees fifth consecutive 1,000-plus jump in cases

Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar all report more than 1,000 new infections

Saudi employees sort boxes at a warehouse in Riyadh on June 9, 2020 following the easing of the kingdom's coronavirus lockdown. Reuters

Saudi Arabia reported 3,366 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, with the capital recording a 1,000-plus rise in cases for a fifth consecutive day.

The Saudi health ministry said there were 1,089 new infections detected in Riyadh since Friday, followed by 527 in Jeddah and 310 in Makkah.

The new infections reported on Saturday raised the number of cases in the kingdom’s coronavirus outbreak to 123,308, while the Covid-19 death toll rose by 39 to 932.

The health ministry said there were 1,519 recoveries since Friday, raising the total to 82,548 and leaving the kingdom with 39,828 active cases.

Coronavirus in the Middle East

Commuters at the tram station wear mandatory face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, in Rabat, Morocco. EPA

Reserve players of the Palestinian Tulkarem football club wear face masks during a match against Al-Ahli in the empty Doura International Stadium near the West Bank town of Hebron. AFP

A TV cameraman stands in front of cardboard cutouts of Fenerbahce fans in the stands prior to the club's Turkish Super League football match against Kayserispor in Istanbul. AP

A woman checks the temperature of a worshipper attending Friday prayers at Qarchak Jamee Mosque in Iran's Tehran province. Reuters

A man in a hazmat suit mourns over a tombstone at a cemetery for Covid-19 victims, 20 kilometres from the central Iraqi holy city of Najaf. AFP

Palestinians gather at the beach in Gaza City after the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. AFP

A worker sprays disinfectant inside a mosque with distancing signs ahead of Friday prayers amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in Sanaa, Yemen. EPA

In Oman, the health ministry reported 1,006 new infections on Saturday, including 435 Omanis and 571 residents, raising the number of coronavirus cases in the sultanate to 22,077.

The death toll rose to 99 as three more Covid-19 patients died since Friday, while the number of recoveries rose by 41 to 7,530.

Bahrain’s health ministry reported 444 new cases detected from 6,713 Covid-19 tests carried out on Friday, while the number of recoveries rose by 288 to 12,191 on Saturday.

Kuwait’s case count rose to 35,446 with 514 new infections reported on Saturday, including 281 Kuwaitis, 63 Indians, 45 Egyptians and 31 Bangladeshis.

The health ministry said another 834 patients had recovered, raising the total recoveries to 25,882.

Kuwait’s Covid-19 death toll rose by four to 289.

The number of active cases in Qatar dropped to 23,094 on Saturday as the health ministry reported 1,828 new infections and 1,956 recoveries in the previous 24 hours.

The number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care rose by 13 to 232, while the death toll remained at 70, the ministry said.