JEDDAH: More than 6 million students in Saudi Arabia starting their academic year will need to declare their health status via the Ministry of Health-approved Tawakkalna app, authorities have said.
In a meeting with regional education directors on Saturday, Minister of Education Dr. Hamad Al-Sheikh urged students, parents and teachers to adhere to the health protocols and procedures set out by the MoH and Public Health Authority.
The education sector’s responsibility is “for the educational journey of the student to be safe, healthy and reassuring for the family and parents,” he added.
“The Director of Education is primarily responsible for implementing health procedures and following up on the implementation of operational models,” Al-Sheikh said.
Meanwhile, media spokesman for Madinah Regional Police Lt. Col. Hussain Al-Qahtani said that authorities arrested 13 people for violating isolation and quarantine rules after they tested positive for COVID-19.
Measures were taken by authorities against the 13 people arrested, Al-Qahtani added.
FASTFACT
More than 35.9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the Kingdom at a rate of 101.62 doses per 100 people.
The penalties for breaking isolation rules include a fine of up to SR200,000 ($53,000) or jail time for a period not exceeding two years, or both, and in the event of repeated violations, the penalty will be doubled. Expats will be deported from the Kingdom and banned from reentry.
The MoH reported 234 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing recorded case numbers to a low not seen since Jan. 26 this year. A total of 543,796 people in the Kingdom have contracted the disease.
The number of active cases significantly declined after the announcement by the ministry of 3,537 total cases in the Kingdom, including 978 in critical condition.
Of the newly recorded cases, 67 were in Riyadh, 36 in Makkah and 41 in the Eastern Province.
There were six new COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the death toll over the course of the pandemic to 8,526.
More than 35.9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the Kingdom at a rate of 101.62 doses per 100 people. More than 61.92 percent of the population have been inoculated with at least one dose.
The MoH said that 409 patients had recovered from COVID-19, increasing the total number of recoveries to 531,733. The Kingdom has so far conducted more than 27 million PCR tests, with 52,889 carried out in the past 24 hours.
