Saudi Arabia Records Daily Infection Record For COVID-19, The Grand Mosque Again Applies Social Distancing

Illustration of officers observing the activities of worshipers at the Grand Mosque, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (Twitter/@HaramainInfo)

JAKARTA - Saudi Arabia recorded its highest daily number of COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic on Wednesday, according to local authorities.

Saudi Arabia's total recorded 5,362 new cases of COVID-19 infection recorded from the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of recorded infection cases so far to 593,545.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, the highest number of cases was recorded in the capital Riyadh with 1,492 cases, followed by Jeddah with 961 cases, Makkah with 436 cases, Madinah confirmed with 273 cases, and Dammam with 165 cases.

In addition, the Ministry of Health confirmed two new deaths, bringing the death toll in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to 8,899, as quoted by Arab News on January 13.

It is known that more than 53.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered since the vaccination campaign began in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. More than 23.4 million people have been fully vaccinated.

While launching Al Arabiya News, the Kingdom has also reintroduced social distancing measures at the Grand Mosque in recent weeks.

Then, the Saudi Arabian authorities also re-imposed the obligation to wear masks in public places, both indoors and outdoors to reduce the risk of transmission.

To increase efforts to monitor compliance with health and safety measures, several municipalities have implemented strict rules.

Saudi municipalities have also stepped up efforts to monitor compliance with health and safety measures. For example, the Municipality of East Province conducted 1,289 inspections on Tuesday, with the field team issuing fines to 89 commercial outlets for violating protocols.

As for the city of Jeddah, the authorities identified 36 violations and closed 16 facilities in 5,679 monitoring over the past two days. In addition, Najran, Makkah, Madinah, Baha, Asir, and other cities are also continuing intensive inspections and monitoring tours of shops, restaurants, markets, and commercial centers.

For information, the authorities have also opened a hotline for reporting alleged violations of health protocols, or through the Balady application, which can be done by all members of the public.