Saudi Warns of Virus Restrictions As Infections Rise

Saudi Arabia's health minister warned Sunday that new restrictions on coronavirus could be imposed in the midst of infections, as the kingdom slows down the spread of vaccines due to delays in supply.

“We have seen in recent days a noticeable and continuous rise in coronavirus infections,” Tawfiq al-Rabiah said in a video message, blaming “gatherings and lax enforcement of preventative measures”, reports AFP.

“The lack of compliance will undoubtedly force us to introduce measures to protect society,” he added, without elaborating.

Saudi Arabia has reported more than 368,000 coronavirus cases and almost 6,400 deaths, the highest among the Gulf Arab states.

But the kingdom has also reported a high rate of recovery, with daily infections falling below 100 in early January from a peak of nearly 5,000 last June.

However, new daily infections have steadily increased in recent weeks, with 261 cases reported by the Ministry of Health on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia launched its coronavirus vaccination campaign on 17 December after receiving the first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The health ministry said the programme would roll out in three phases, starting with people over 65 and those with chronic ailments or at high risk of infection.

But earlier this month, the Ministry said it was forced to slow down because of a delay in the delivery of vaccines.

Saudi Arabia had said that it would put an end to travel restrictions for its citizens and reopen its borders on 31 March.

But on Friday the interior ministry said it had pushed back the date to May 17 due to vaccine delays, in a bid to avoid a second coronavirus wave.