JEDDAH: Coronavirus restrictions have been eased in some Madinah neighborhoods to allow residents to leave their homes between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., according to the Ministry of Interior.
The move follows a recommendation by health authorities that curbs be relaxed in areas that included the neighborhoods of Ash Shouraybat, Banidhafar, Qurban, Al-Jumuah, and parts of Al-Iskan and Bani Khedira.
A ministry spokesman said that the public response to the remaining restrictions would be monitored and evaluated by health authorities, and urged people to abide by these measures to ensure public safety.
The number of people in the Kingdom recovering from the disease has exceeded 10,000 recorded cases. Most had mild symptoms and their recovery time ranged from 14 to 21 days. Those with severe or critical cases took longer to recover depending on their health condition.
Ministry of Health spokesman, Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly, said that 80 to 90 percent of confirmed cases recovered within a time frame of two to three weeks.
The Kingdom’s recovery rate of COVID-19 patients aligned with the curve of confirmed cases, said Al-Aly. Factors that helped align with the curve were the ease of reaching patients, available health care centers and their capacity to accommodate patients and provide treatment. Optimized services and protocols in place also helped in decreasing the fatality rate and increasing the recovery rate.
The ministry has launched a WhatsApp service for its 937 contact center as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to manage the coronavirus pandemic. The service has an interactive chat feature on the number 9200058937, which provides the latest information about COVID-19, information about blood donation, health centers, booking appointments as well as health tips during Ramadan.
There were 1,704 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 announced on Saturday, 30 percent of whom are Saudi. The total number of cases recorded is 37,136. There are currently 26,753 active cases, with 140 in critical condition.
Of the new cases 82 percent are male and 90 percent are adults. Just 6 percent are children and 4 percent are above the age of 65.
There have been 10 further deaths reported, raising the toll to 239.
The latest fatalities were in Riyadh, Makkah, Jubail and Jeddah. They were aged between 33-66 and all had prior chronic illnesses.
