Moments ago, authorities in Saudi Arabia announced that a temporary lockdown has been imposed on the eastern Qatif province, an oil-producing region and home to a large Shi'ite Muslim population, to help contain the spread of corona virus after 11 people there were infected.
According to an official statement by the ministry of Interior, no one would be allowed to enter or exit Qatif and that work at all public and private sectors in the province had been suspended with the exception of institutions providing necessary services.
All the inpiduals who had been diagnosed with the disease in the kingdom have either been to Iran or interacted with people who visited the Islamic Republic, home to major Shi'ite holy sites.
The statement added that commercial supplies would continue to flow to the region.
Earlier, Saudi authorities exert sincere efforts to prevent transmission of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in preparation to eliminate it, and to protect the health of citizens and expatriates and ensure their safety, according to a statement released by the Saudi state Press Agency, SPA n Saturday.
Hours later, Saudi authorities announce that it will suspend all educational and Koranic activities at mosques from Monday to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
State television reported that the country, which has recorded 11 infections, had already suspended all umrah pilgrimages and deep-cleaned the holiest religious sites including the Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and the al-Masjid al-Nabawy mosque in Medina.
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