We have been hearing about the coronavirus in the news since its spread in Wuhan, China, and its isolation from the rest of the world at the beginning of 2020. However, with its increasing prevalence in the Arab world and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the significantly increasing number of casualties, especially in Riyadh, Madinah, and Makkah Al-Mukarramah, it was imperative to take immediate decisions and precautionary measures in order to fight against coronavirus and study its health and economic impacts on the Kingdom in the long run.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the Crown Prince, Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, made efforts to ensure maintaining security and limiting the spread of the coronavirus in Saudi Arabia.
Today, we will talk about all the major decisions that have been taken to fight against coronavirus in Saudi Arabia.
The decisions made to fight against coronavirus in Saudi Arabia
You may be wondering about all the decisions taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to fight this virus. Therefore, we will highlight the major resolutions KSA has made and how it’s cities have faced coronavirus disruptions.
Distance learning
King Salman has taken decisions to initiate distance learning through designated platforms. Such platforms included the Ministry of Education’s Unified Education System and the iEN National Education Portal. In this case, schools and universities were suspended on Monday, March 9, 2020, keeping education temporarily home-based.
Implementation of remote work for all employees
The remotely-working mechanism in public and private companies started in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at around mid-March. It later included imposing remotely working from home on all the other sectors, until further notice, depending on the developments. On the other hand, the basic delivery services remained active to serve the community.
The imposition excluded the health sector (such as pharmacies and medical clinics) as well as the media sector. Customs clearance and port operations sectors as well as e-commerce activities were also part of the exclusion. Other vital sectors such as the water and communications divisions, had to be excluded for their importance of availability.
Work permits and residency visas
Anyone whose residency will expire on 06/30/2020 shall be exempted from the residency extension fees. The residency will be extended for 3 months after this date as per the decisions taken.
As for the work permit, anyone holding this type of visa and did not enter or leave the Kingdom during the curfew will be exempted from any extension fees. In such a case, the work permit will be automatically considered valid for an additional three months.
Curfews and Lockdowns in various regions of Saudi Arabia
King Salman bin Abdulaziz decided to issue a royal decree and order excluding some of the necessary sectors. This order provides for staying at home and not going out unless necessary in order to fight the virus. Starting from 7 pm from the date of 3/23/2020 and until further notice is provided.
The Saudi Ministry of Interior announced curfews in Makkah and Madinah, starting on Thursday, April 02, 2020. And on April 06, 2020, curfews were imposed in Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran, and Al Hofuf for 24 hours, as well as throughout all the governorates of (Jeddah, Ta’if, Al Qatif, and Al Khobar).
Citizens will only be allowed to go out for extreme necessities. All those regulations and decisions took place according to certain mechanisms to fight against coronavirus in KSA.
Financing programs
KSA will provide 13.2 billion Saudi riyals for loan financing to support small and medium-sized companies in the sectors. This encounter comes under stimulus packages for investment and economic development to support the affected sectors in Saudi Arabia.
Loan guarantee programs
Small and medium-sized companies that fall under the sponsorship system during 2020 will be supported with a value of 6 billion Saudi riyals.
Government taxes and Zakat
Income tax and some other taxes imposed on the private sector will be deferred for at least 3 months for business owners.
G20 Riyadh Summit to Fight Against Coronavirus Threats
This summit annually brings world leaders together to discuss cooperation between them. It includes heads of states and governments from more than 19 countries and the European Union.
Saudi Arabia led the 20th Summit in Riyadh, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in efforts to fight against coronavirus. King Salman, decided to hold an emergency summit on 3/26/2020 instead of its original date in November 2020.
His earlier meeting announcement aimed to discuss the economic conditions that have negatively faced coronavirus. The most notable of them include:
- Having the leaders of this group to inject more than $5 trillion into the world economy. This plan was set in an order to fight against coronavirus and its effects around the world.
- Focusing on strengthening local, regional, and global capabilities as an immediate response to outbreaks of infectious diseases. These strengths also focus on the preparedness of countries in the case of a new pandemic like the faced coronavirus.
- Maintaining the global economy by examining international gaps.
- The continuous supply of medical, agricultural, and biological supplies, and goods and services across borders.
- Providing voluntary emergency resources to the Solidarity Fund between the World Health Organization (WHO), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).
- Trade continuity by limiting the disruption of global commodities across borders through facilitating its mobility and delivering emergency services.
Curfew During Eid Al-Fitr
On Tuesday 3/12/2020, Saudi Arabia announced a 24-hour curfew in various parts of the country during Eid Al-Fitr for a 3-day-period.
The government’s decision was made in an effort to fight against coronavirus. It was also made to ensure the community’s safety from the dangers of gathering at the moment. The most notable measures that have been concluded include:
- An entire curfew between different cities and regions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Commitment to the procedures for social distancing, and prohibiting gatherings that are made up of 5 or more people.
Perhaps, Saudi Arabia adopts the latest methods of medical examinations and precautionary measures stipulated by international studies and the World Health Organization (WHO) to examine the largest possible number of people infected with the coronavirus “COVID-19”.
However, you should follow safety instructions and commit to social distancing to protect yourselves and your loved ones. We do not want to experience what we are seeing from huge crises in Italy, Spain, and the US on social media to occur in the Kingdom… No need to worry, but due caution is advised!
These were the most important decisions and actions taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to fight against coronavirus. Check our interview with Dr. Mohamed Kamal, who provided us with the correct information about patients infected with coronavirus. Another interesting interview was with someone who was tested for the coronavirus in one of the Saudi hospitals. Follow us at Bayut Saudi Arabia Blog for the most notable and accurate news and details in the world of real estate and emergency developments.
