Saudi Arabia reintroduces mask and social distancing mandates

Saudi Arabia has made the wearing masks and following social distancing guidelines mandatory for all indoor and outdoor activities beginning today, Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

An official source from country’s Ministry of Interior said the decision was made by the health authorities due to a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases and the occurrence of new mutations for the virus.

The source stated these decisions have been made upon recommendations of specialised health institutions in the country on the epidemiological conditions and the increasing number of Covid-19 infections and its variants.

The source highlighted the importance of adhering to all preventive and precautionary measures and accredited protocols to preserve the health of all.

The official source also added that legal procedures and penalties will be applied on violators, stressing the need for all individuals to continue receiving vaccination doses.

On Wednesday, the Saudi’s Ministry of Health (MoH) detected 744 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 231 recoveries in the kingdom during the past 24 hours.

The ministry added that the number of critical cases reached 43. MoH also reported one new death, bringing the fatalities tally in the kingdom to 8,874