COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia
| COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia | |
|---|---|
 Graph showing COVID-19 cases and deaths in Saudi Arabia from April 2020 to April 2023 | |
| Disease | COVID-19 |
| Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
| Location | Saudi Arabia |
| First outbreak | Wuhan, Hubei, China |
| Index case | Qatif, Eastern Province |
| Arrival date | 2 March 2020 (4 years, 9 months and 4 weeks) |
| Confirmed cases |  547,402 |
| Active cases |  2,223 |
| Critical cases | 150 |
| Recovered |  536,447 |
Deaths |
|
| Government website | |
| covid19.moh.gov.sa | |
The COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first case in the kingdom was confirmed by the Ministry of Health on 2 March 2020[2][3] and in the following months, the kingdom held the highest number of confirmed cases in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.[4]
The kingdom announced the suspension of all domestic and international travel on March 21; domestic travel was reinitiated on May 21. After curfews and lockdowns were placed on several administrative levels, the number of daily confirmed cases shrunk dramatically and by June 21, all curfews were lifted through a three-phase program enacted throughout the country, except the city of Mecca.[5] By mid-July, the kingdom was seeing more daily recoveries than cases. The Hajj took place with only 10,000 socially-distanced pilgrims allowed to take part in the annual pilgrimage, which fell during the last week of July and the first week of August.[6]
The economy of Saudi Arabia also suffered a heavy impact; a budget deficit of 9 billion US dollars was reported in the first quarter of 2020 caused by the decline in oil prices and the economic effects of the pandemic.[7][8] Several measures were taken to help stimulate the economy, including increasing the value-added tax from 5% to 15%, effective 1 July,[7][8] and cutting spending by 100 billion riyals (US$26,600,000,000).[9] As of September 7, 2020, there had been a little over 320,000 confirmed cases with more than 4,000 deaths attributed to the virus in the kingdom, and international air travel was still suspended. A budget deficit of 40.768 billion riyals was posted by the government in its third quarter of 2020, which was reportedly more than half of the deficit calculated in the previous quarter. The change in figures resulted following the spike in non-oil revenue, which kicked off a continued fall in oil income. The government estimated that the economy would shrink by a further 3.8% in the remaining months of 2020 due to the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the global demand for crude oil. Riyadh planned to cut its spending in 2021 to 990 billion riyals.[10] The Economist estimated excess deaths during the pandemic—likely to have been due to covid—at between 14,000 and 99,000.[1]
Background
On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a group of people in the city of Wuhan, Hubei in China which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[11][12]
The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[13][14] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[13][15] Between 3 January 2020 and 14 April 2022, there were 752,188 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia with 9,062 deaths, reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO).[16]
Timeline
 | This article needs to be updated. (August 2022) |
March 2020
- 2 March: Saudi Arabia confirms its first case, a Saudi national returning from Iran via Bahrain.[22]
- 23 March: King Salman issues an order restricting movement from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m on March throughout the kingdom. The total case count rises to 562.[23]
- 24 March: 205 new cases bring the total in the kingdom to 767. A 51-year-old Afghan national in Madinah is reported to be the first casualty in the country.[24][25]
- 26 March: The total number of confirmed cases surpasses 1,000.[26]
- 29 March: The total number of confirmed cases rises to 1,453.[27] King Salman orders all COVID-19 patients be treated free of charge, regardless of their legal status.[27]
April–May 2020
- 8 April: A report by The New York Times suggests as many as 150 members of the Saudi royal family had tested positive. The total stands at 2,932.[28]
- 14 April: The total number of confirmed cases surpasses 5,000.[29]
- 20 April: The total number of confirmed cases surpasses 10,000. Saudi Health Minister Tawfig al-Rabiah says the increase in the number of cases was the result of active testing.[30]
- 16 May: The total number of confirmed cases surpasses 50,000.[31]
- 28 May: Saudi Arabia enters Phase 1 of re-opening with the goal of return to normalcy in all cities except Mecca by 21 June.[32][33]
June–July 2020
- 7 June: The total number of confirmed cases surpasses 100,000.[34]
- 21 June: All restrictions are dropped except for the enforcement of social distancing and mask-wearing throughout the kingdom.[35]
- 3 July: A report by The Wall Street Journal suggests that dozens of US diplomats were planning to leave Saudi Arabia by the first week of July 2020, some fearing that the Saudi government may be underreporting coronavirus cases by thousands.[36]
March 2021
In March 2021, the Saudi Ministry of Health reported that Saudi Arabia is witnessing a huge rise in the number of active and critical cases of COVID-19. Until March 19, the death toll has reached 6,596.[37]
May 2021
On 20 May 2021, Saudi Arabia recorded 1213 cases of COVID-19, rising after the celebrations of Eid Al-Fitr.[38]
December 2021
By December 2021 the number of cases in Saudi Arabia had increased to 550,000.[2]
Government responses
Closure of Mecca and Medina
On 27 February 2020, Saudi Arabia announced a temporary suspension of entry for Muslims wanting to perform the Umrah pilgrimage in Great Mosque of Mecca or to visit the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah. On 5 March, further precautionary measures were taken regarding the safety of the Islamic holy sites, including temporary daily closure of the Great Mosque for sterilization purposes.[39] On 19 March, Saudi Arabia suspended the holding of daily prayers and the Friday prayers in and outside the two mosques in Mecca and Medina to limit the spread of coronavirus.[40] Similar measures were carried out across the country during the same week. On 20 March, Saudi Arabia suspended entry and praying to the general public at the two Holy Mosques in Mecca and Medina to limit the spread of the coronavirus.[41]
On 30 May 2020, Saudi Arabia announced that mosques will start to re-open from 31 May, except for Great Mosque of Mecca.[42] On 19 June, the state television announced that mosques in Mecca will be allowed to reopen from 21 June "if they follow preventative health measures against COVID-19."[43]
Repatriation of Saudi citizens
On 2 February 10 Saudi students were repatriated from Wuhan. It was announced the next day that all of them had tested negative for COVID-19.[44] However, they were kept in quarantine for two additional weeks before allowed to return home.[45]
Mobility and transport
On 6 February, Saudi Arabia had announced a travel ban to China on citizens and residents.[46] On 28 February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia announced the temporary suspension of entry for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) citizens to Makkah and Madinah.[47] Citizens of the GCC who had been in Saudi Arabia for more than 14 consecutive days and didn't show any symptoms of the COVID-19 would be excluded from this rule.[47] Saudi Arabia has suspended direct passenger flights between the Kingdom and China since early February.[48] On 20 March, The Ministry of Interior suspended domestic flights, trains, buses and taxis for 14 days in a heightened effort to stop the spread of the COVID-19. The new measure was put in place on 2 March 2020.[49]
Curfews
On 8 March, the Saudi Arabian government announced that it was temporarily halting all transport in and out of the Qatif Governorate, though residents of the area would be permitted to enter the city. The country's Ministry of Interior stated that all individuals with confirmed cases in the country were from Qatif.[50] On 24 March, a nation-wide curfew was put into place with movement restricted to between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. On 30 March, the Jeddah Governorate was subjected to a curfew by the Ministry of Interior, with all movement to and from the city suspended.[51] The holy cities of Makkah and Madinah were subjected to a 24-hour curfew starting 2 April.[52] On 6 April, it was announced that 24-hour curfews would be implemented in the cities of Riyadh, Dammam, Tabuk, Dhahran and Hofuf and the governorates of Jeddah, Ta'if, Khobar and Qatif, with movement restricted to only essential travel between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m.[53]
On 5 June, Saudi Arabia re-imposed curfew and restrictions in Jeddah from 6 to 20 June.[54] The restrictions include suspension of prayers in all mosques in the city.[55]
Other measures
On 7 March, the General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia announced that all sports competitions would be held behind closed doors.[56][57] In addition, it was also announced that the 2020 Saudi Olympics that were scheduled to be held from 23 March to 1 April were suspended until further notice.[58][non-primary source needed][59] On 14 March, the Ministry announced that all sports competitions would be suspended until further notice along with the closure of all stadiums, sports centers and gyms.[60] On 8 March, the Saudi Ministry of Education announced that all educational institutions, including public and private schools, technical and vocational training institutions[61] will be closed in Saudi Arabia to control the spread of the virus. On 14 March, the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs announced that they would be closing all amusement parks and entertainment zones in malls. Sterilization of all restaurants was also made a priority. In addition, the ministry also announced that they would be banning all social events, including funerals and weddings.[62] On 15 March, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs further announced the closure of all shopping malls, restaurants, coffee shops, and public parks and buildings with the exception of pharmacies and supermarkets.[63] Some people have been arrested for allegedly spreading false information about the coronavirus pandemic.[64]
On 11 June, the Ministry of Sports announced the resumption of sports activities with training starting on 21 June and games starting after 4 August but without public attendance of fans.[65]
On March 7, 2021, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, gyms and sport centers will reopen in Saudi Arabia, but weddings and all social events and parties are still not allowed until further notice.[66]
On March 25, 2021, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance said that the lessons in mosques will continue remotely but sermons are allowed to be delivered but not for more than 10 minutes asking all mosques to undertake to all precautionary COVID-19 measures to ensure the safety and health of worshipers.[67]
In July 2021, Saudi Arabia announced plans to impose a 3-year travel ban on citizens travelling to countries on its 'red list' under efforts to control spread of the virus. The kingdom stated that those involved will be subject to legal accountability and heavy penalties will be imposed on them.[68]
Economic measures
On 10 May 2020, Saudi Arabia announced suspension of the 1000 riyals/month cost-of-living allowance from 1 June, and an increase in the value-added tax from 5% to 15% from 1 July.[7][8] The Kingdom will also cut spending by 100 billion riyals (US$26,600,000,000).[9] The measures are due to a budget deficit of US$9,000,000,000 in the first quarter of 2020, decline in oil prices, and the economic effects of the pandemic.[7][8]
Official data reported on 30 September 2020 by Reuters showed that Saudi Arabia's economy declined by 7% in both the oil and non-oil sectors in the second quarter following the coronavirus pandemic. The General Authority for Statistics also said "The private sector and the government sector recorded a negative growth rate of 10.1% and 3.5%, respectively." Unemployment in the Kingdom also reportedly hit a record high, i.e. 15.4%.[69] According to analysts, recovering from such a hit might be more difficult due to budget constraints as a result of declining oil prices.[70]
At the start of the pandemic, oil prices decreased to below $20 a barrel in April after Saudi Arabia entered an oil price war. While a truce among the world's top oil producers has pushed the price of oil up to $40 a barrel, this figure is still almost half the price of oil per barrel at the start of 2020. Furthermore, oil prices are significantly lower than the $76 a barrel the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says Saudi Arabia requires in order to balance its budget this year. The kingdom obtains more than three-quarters of its earnings from oil. The IMF expects the Saudi economy to contract by about 7 percent this year and increase growth by 3.1 percent in 2021.[70]
COVID-19 vaccination programme in Saudi Arabia
On 27 December 2020, the Kingdom's Ministry of Health announced more than 700,000 people had registered to receive the coronavirus vaccine since the vaccination registration campaign began on 17 December.[71]
On 29 December 2020, the Kingdom's Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah, told Al Arabiya, coronavirus vaccines are set to reach all regions of Saudi Arabia within three weeks.[72]
On 19 January 2021, Saudi Arabia approved both the AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines for use against the Coronavirus.[73]
In March 2021, Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah said that the Kingdom will provide the vaccinations to the pharmacies for free knowing that more than 100 vaccination facilities have opened around the country.[74]
On March 9, the total of vaccination centres became 32 after opening 26 news centers by Asir Health Affairs.[75]
On March 25, 2021, Saudi Arabia said that all domestic workers affiliated with recruitment firms in Saudi Arabia should get the vaccine. Otherwise, they have to provide a weekly negative PCR test result at the expense of the employer.[76]
In April 2021, Saudi Arabia postponed the appointments of the second dose for COVID-19 vaccines in order to make sure that more residents can receive the first dose.[77] By April 14, Saudi Arabia had vaccinated 6,450,278 people.[78]
In May 2021, Saudi authorities said that, starting August 2021, attending events, whether social, scientific, economic cultural or other, and entering any government or private establishment will require having the COVID-19 immunization.[79]
Statistics
Total number of confirmed cases and recoveries
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Confirmed new cases per day
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Confirmed deaths per day
| Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
See also
References
- ^ a b "The Economist's excess deaths model". The Economist (CDC). 25 November 2023. Scroll down to "Compare excess deaths across countries" and in the search box for the table below the graph enter "Saudi Arabia",
- ^ a b AlGhalyini, Baraa; Shakir, Ismail; Wahed, Muaz; Babar, Sultan; Mohamed, Mohamed (30 June 2022). "Does SARI Score Predict COVID-19 Positivity? A Retrospective Analysis of Emergency Department Patients in a Tertiary Hospital" (PDF). Journal of Health and Allied Sciences. 13: 077–082. doi:10.1055/s-0042-1748806. S2CID 250189262. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia announces the first case of coronavirus". Arab News. Riyadh: Saudi Research and Marketing Group. 3 March 2020. ISSN 0254-833X. Archived from the original on 2 March 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
Saudi Arabia reported its first case of the new coronavirus on Monday amid growing fears that a surge in the number of those infected in Iran is threatening the whole region.
- ^ "Covid 19 Dashboard: Saudi Arabia". Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "An Approval Issued to fully Lift the Curfew from 06 am on Sunday, Ban on Umrah, Visit, Int'l Flights to Continue The official Saudi Press Agency". www.spa.gov.sa. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ "Pilgrims safely end Hajj journey". Arab News. 2 August 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Saudi Arabia triples VAT to support coronavirus-hit economy". BBC. 10 May 2020. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Saudi Arabia to impose 'painful' austerity measures, triple VAT". Al Jazeera. 11 May 2020.
- ^ a b Amlôt, Matthew (11 May 2020). "Jobs, health priority in coronavirus spending cuts, VAT hike: Saudi Finance Minister". Al Arabiya.
- ^ Barbuscia, Davide (28 October 2020). "Saudi Arabia's deficit down in third quarter as taxes boost revenue". Reuters. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ^ Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". Government of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia: WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard With Vaccination Data". covid19.who.int. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia detects 24 cases of coronavirus, total rises to 86". Al Arabiya. 13 March 2019.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia announces 17 new cases of coronavirus". Arab News. 14 March 2019.
- ^ "Ministry of Health Reports 15 New Cases of Coronavirus". Saudi Press Agency. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ "Ministry of Health Reports 15 New Cases of COVID-19". Saudi Press Agency. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- ^ "Ministry of Health Reports 38 New Cases of COVID-19". Saudi Press Agency. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia announces first case of coronavirus". 2 March 2020. Archived from the original on 2 March 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia reports 51 new cases, total now 562". Saudigazette. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ "Afghan National Dies of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia". TOLOnews. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia reports first death, 205 new cases of COVID-19". Gulf News. 24 March 2020. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ El Yaakoubi, Aziz; Saba, Yousef (26 March 2020). "UAE orders overnight curfew for deep clean, Gulf coronavirus cases rise". Reuters. Dubai. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia records 1,453 cases". Al Arabiya. 30 March 2020. Archived from the original on 31 March 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus widespread among Saudi royal family: Report". Al Jazeera. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ Al-Judaibi, Bandar; Almaghrabi, Reem; Alghamdi, Mohammed; Al-Hamoudi, Waleed K; AlQahtani, Mohammed; Abaalkhail, Faisal; Shagrani, Mohammed; Sanai, Faisal M. (2020). "Saudi association for the study of liver diseases and transplantation position statement on liver transplantation during the COVID-19 pandemic". Saudi J Gastroenterol. 26 (5). MEDLINE and World Health Organization (WHO): 233–239. doi:10.4103/sjg.SJG_131_20. PMC 7739988. PMID 32341229. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Al-Khudair, Deema (20 April 2020). "COVID-19 cases in Saudi Arabia surpass 10,000". arabnews.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2020.
- ^ Chmaytelli, Maher; Jalabi, Raya (16 May 2020). Heavens, Andrew (ed.). "Saudi Arabia's coronavirus cases top 50,000: ministry". Reuters. Dubai. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Serrieh, Joanne (28 May 2020). "Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia records 3,531 recoveries, 1,644 new cases". Al Arabiya.
- ^ Khalid, Tuqa (28 May 2020). "Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia sets guidelines for malls, industrial sector, as it reopens". Al Arabiya.
- ^ Hilton, Tommy (7 June 2020). "Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia now has over 100,000 COVID-19 cases". Al Arabiya.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia lifts coronavirus curfew". BBC News. 21 June 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ "Dozens of U.S. Diplomats to Leave Saudi Arabia as Coronavirus Outbreak Worsens". WSJ. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia sees significant increase in active, critical COVID-19 cases". Arab News. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "Saudi daily COVID-19 case count back above 1,000 for first time in 9 months". Arab News. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia closes Grand Mosque, Prophet's Mosque between night and morning prayers". Arab News. 5 March 2020. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia bans prayers at mosques over coronavirus fears | al Jazeera". Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ "Entry and prayer in courtyards of the Two Holy mosques suspended". Saudigazette. 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
- ^ "Prophet's Mosque to open to public in stages from Sunday". arabnews.com. 30 May 2020.
- ^ Abueish, Tamara (19 June 2020). "Coronavirus: Mosques in Saudi Arabia's Mecca set to reopen on June 21". Al Arabiya.
- ^ "MOH Confirms that the Results of Preliminary Tests for 10 Saudi Students Coming from Chinese City Wuhan are Negative the official Saudi Press Agency".
- ^ "Ministry of Health Announces Safety of 10 Saudi Students Coming from Wuhan, China the official Saudi Press Agency".
- ^ "Passports Announces Suspension of Travel to China The official Saudi Press Agency". spa.gov.sa.
- ^ a b Khalek, Hesham Abdul; Nomiyama, Chizu (28 February 2020). "Saudi Arabia temporarily suspends entry of GCC citizens to Mecca and Medina: foreign ministry". Reuters. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia expands travel ban to and from EU, 12 more countries as coronavirus cases in Kingdom jump to 45". Arab News. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia suspending domestic flights, mass land transport in fight against COVID-19". 20 March 2020. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- ^ "Saudi locks down Qatif as coronavirus surges in the Gulf". Al Jazeera. 8 March 2020. Archived from the original on 8 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ "Ministry of Interior: Curfew in Jeddah Governorate to be effective from 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, and suspension of entry into and exit from it". Saudi Press Agency. 30 March 2020. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
- ^ "Ministry of Interior: Curfew in All Makkah and Madinah for 24 Hours Effective from Today until Further Notice". Saudi Press Agency. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia imposes 24-hour curfew in several cities, including Riyadh". Al Arabiya. 6 April 2020. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ Abueish, Tamara (5 June 2020). "Saudi Arabia reimposes restrictions, curfew in Jeddah". Al Arabiya.
- ^ Abueish, Tamara (5 June 2020). "Saudi Arabia temporarily suspends prayers in Jeddah mosques". Al Arabiya. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ "وزارة الرياضة تُقرر تعليق الحضور الجماهيري في جميع المنافسات الرياضية في كافة الألعاب اعتباراً من يوم غدٍ السبت" (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ "Saudi Ministry of Sport suspends public attendance at events from Saturday". 6 March 2020. Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ "اللجنة المنظمة تقرر تأجيل #دورة_الألعاب_السعودية حتى إشعار آخر". Archived from the original on 8 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ "اللجنة المنظمة تعلن تأجيل دورة الألعاب السعودية" (in Arabic). 8 March 2020. Archived from the original on 9 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ "عام / وزارة الرياضة : تعليق النشاط الرياضي بالمملكة وإغلاق الصالات والمراكز الرياضية الخاصة Саудовское информационное агентство". spa.gov.sa.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia to close schools from Monday over coronavirus". Arab News. 8 March 2020. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ ""البلديات" توجّه بإغلاق أماكن الألعاب والأنشطة الترفيهية في المجمّعات التجارية، وتعقيم وتهوية أماكن تقديم الأطعمة والمشروبات" (in Arabic). 22 March 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- ^ "السعودية تغلق المراكز التجارية والمطاعم للحد من كورونا". 15 March 2020. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- ^ "Saudi man arrested for false news on COVID-19 patient". Gulf News. 22 April 2020. Archived from the original on 2 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia will resume sports activities, without fans starting from June 21". Reuters. 11 June 2020.
- ^ "Cinemas, gyms and restaurants to reopen in Saudi Arabia". Arab News. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia permits 10-minute sermons in mosques, as more shut due to COVID-19 measures". Arab News. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia threatens 3-year travel ban for citizens who visit "red list" states". Reuters. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ Barbuscia, Davide (30 September 2020). "Saudi economy shrank by 7% in second quarter as coronavirus hit". Reuters. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Saudi economy shrinks 7% while unemployment hits record high". Al Jazeera. 30 September 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus: More than 700,000 register to receive vaccine in Saudi Arabia". Al Arabiya English. 27 December 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus: COVID-19 vaccines to reach all regions of Saudi Arabia within 3 weeks". Al Arabiya English. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
- ^ "Two more COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in Saudi Arabia". Arab News. Jeddah. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "Saudi health minister: COVID-19 vaccines will be available at pharmacies for free". Arab News. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ^ "26 more vaccination centers opened in Saudi Arabia's Asir region to fight COVID-19". Arab News. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ "Workers with recruitment firms in Saudi Arabia told to get vaccinated". Arab News. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia postpones second COVID-19 dose reservations". Arab News. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ "6.5 million vaccinated in Saudi Arabia as virus cases continue to climb". Arab News. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- ^ "Saudi Arabia to require COVID-19 immunization for entering events starting August". Arab News. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
.svg){kind=small}
