RIYADH: Saudi Arabia recorded seven new COVID-19 related deaths on Thursday, raising the total number of fatalities to 8,512.
The Ministry of Health confirmed 290 new cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 543,318 people have now contracted the disease.
Of the total number of cases, 3,889 remain active and 1,061 in critical condition.
According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in the capital Riyadh with 62, followed by Makkah with 51, the Eastern Province with 30, Qassim recorded 29, and Jazan confirmed 27 cases.
The health ministry also announced that 535 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 530,917.
Over 35.1 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the Kingdom to date through 587 centers.
The ministry renewed its call on the public to register with the Sehhaty app to receive the vaccine, and adhere to the measures and abide by instructions.
Police in Makkah said they arrested 103 people for flouting quarantine rules after they tested positive for COVID-19.
Penalties for individuals who violate quarantine instructions include a fine of up to SR200,000 ($53,332) and/or up to two years imprisonment, and penalties are doubled for repeat offenders. If the violation was committed by an expat, they face deportation from the Kingdom and are permanently banned from reentry.
Municipalities in the Kingdom have shut down multiple commercial outlets as part of their efforts to monitor compliance with health and safety measures to stop the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The municipality of Jeddah carried out 3,773 inspection tours of commercial centers and facilities in one day, identifying 51 violations. Authorities closed 47 commercial outlets for breaching protocols.
The Eastern Province Municipality issued fines to 84 businesses for violating coronavirus preventive measures, during 1,476 monitoring rounds carried out on Wednesday.
Tabuk’s municipality closed 20 facilities and fined 74 others during 20,798 inspection rounds over the past 15 days.
Officials have urged the public to report any suspected health breaches by phoning the 940 call center number or contacting authorities through the Balady app.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs reopened two mosques in two regions after temporarily evacuating and sterilizing them after some people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of mosques closed and reopened after being sterilized to 2,020 within 200 days.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected over 215 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 4.48 million.
