Five more people died from the coronavirus in Saudi Arabia in the last 24 hours, and 1,325 new cases were recorded, officials said on Wednesday.
But businesses and factories reopened as part of easing of coronavirus bans to mitigate damage to the economy.
The latest tally brought the death toll from coronavirus in Saudi Arabia to 157 and total cases to 21,402.
The kingdom is the world’s top oil exporter and a major employer of migrant labour from the Levant and the rest of the world.
Citing significant lack of observance of coronavirus measures, Saudi Arabian officials have been warning that infection numbers could keep rising sharply.
At a press conference in Riyadh, Health Ministry spokesman Mohammad Al Abdulaali showed photos of people in public spaces in the kingdom whom, he said, were not observing social distancing rules.
Mr Al Abdulaali said it was crucial for the public to stick to the rules during Ramadan. The advent of the holy month has been partly behind the easing of bans on movement.
Saudi Arabian authorities have registered more than 1,000 cases of the coronavirus daily since April 17. Mass assembly is still not being allowed and the holy city of Makkah, which has the most cases in the kingdom, remains under a 24-hour curfew.
A spokesman for the trade ministry said businesses started reopening on Wednesday, but that the authorities will monitor for price gouging, citing 5,000 citations for violations since the coronavirus hit.
Abulrahman Hussein said working hours are mostly restricted to between 9am to 5pm and that children and the elderly should stay away from the now open shops and malls.
All factories have been also allowed to resume production, officials said. Out of 9,000 factories in Saudi Arabia, 3,000 were deemed as vital and were exempted from the coronavirus closures. The restrictions were lifted this week on the remaining 6,000 factories.
Bans on movement have been eased across the GCC, but most countries in the region have been building makeshift hospitals and quarantine compounds, indicating that they do not expect the contagion to subside any time soon.
Kuwait announced 300 new cases of the coronavirus and one more death, bringing total cases to 3,740 and the number of people who died to 24.
Omani authorities said that the national airline, Oman Air, made eight unscheduled flights this month to India and China, bringing back 25 tonnes of essential medical supplies. Official data puts the cases in Oman at 2,227 and deaths at 10.
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Genesis G80 2020 5.0-litre Royal Specs
Engine: 5-litre V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 505Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L/100km
Price: Dh260,500
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Empty Words
By Mario Levrero
(Coffee House Press)
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
RESULTS
Light Flyweight (48kg): Alua Balkibekova (KAZ) beat Gulasal Sultonalieva (UZB) by points 4-1.
Flyweight (51kg): Nazym Kyzaibay (KAZ) beat Mary Kom (IND) 3-2.
Bantamweight (54kg): Dina Zholaman (KAZ) beat Sitora Shogdarova (UZB) 3-2.
Featherweight (57kg): Sitora Turdibekova (UZB) beat Vladislava Kukhta (KAZ) 5-0.
Lightweight (60kg): Rimma Volossenko (KAZ) beat Huswatun Hasanah (INA) KO round-1.
Light Welterweight (64kg): Milana Safronova (KAZ) beat Lalbuatsaihi (IND) 3-2.
Welterweight (69kg): Valentina Khalzova (KAZ) beat Navbakhor Khamidova (UZB) 5-0
Middleweight (75kg): Pooja Rani (IND) beat Mavluda Movlonova (UZB) 5-0.
Light Heavyweight (81kg): Farida Sholtay (KAZ) beat Ruzmetova Sokhiba (UZB) 5-0.
Heavyweight (81 kg): Lazzat Kungeibayeva (KAZ) beat Anupama (IND) 3-2.
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Brief scores:
England: 290 & 346
Sri Lanka: 336 & 243
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
