[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health announced on the 5th (local time) that it will reimpose lockdown measures, including a curfew and mosque closures, for two weeks starting from the 6th in the southeastern port city of Jeddah. The Ministry explained that this decision was made due to a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in the area.
The curfew will be in effect from 3 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following day, and government officials and private company employees will no longer be allowed to commute to work. The Ministry emphasized that gatherings of six or more people are prohibited, and group prayers or worship services in mosques are not allowed. The Ministry warned, "Currently, lockdown measures have only been reimposed in Jeddah, but if the infection situation worsens, the same decision may be applied to other areas."
Earlier, the Saudi government has been easing lockdown measures such as business and travel restrictions and religious facility closures in three phases since the 28th of last month, aiming for full normalization by the 21st of this month.
As of the 5th, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Saudi Arabia stands at 95,748. Daily new cases had increased to the high 2,000s in mid-last month but then decreased over two weeks; however, they have recently surpassed 2,000 again. On the 5th, the daily new cases reached 2,591, the highest in two weeks.
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