People spend time at the seafront promenade in the Saudi port city of Jeddah as the country reopens following the lifting of a lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. AFP
People spend time at the seafront promenade in the Saudi port city of Jeddah as the country reopens following the lifting of a lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. AFP
People spend time at the seafront promenade in the Saudi seaport of Jeddah. AFP
People spend time at the seafront promenade in the Saudi seaport of Jeddah. AFP
A man walks at the seafront promenade in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. AFP
A man walks at the seafront promenade in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. AFP
Saudi youths ride bicycles at the seafront promenade in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. AFP
Saudi youths ride bicycles at the seafront promenade in the Saudi port city of Jeddah. AFP
A hairdresser clad in face shield and mask cuts a client's hair at a women's salon in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
A hairdresser clad in face shield and mask cuts a client's hair at a women's salon in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
A hairdresser clad in face shield and mask blow-dries a client's hair at a women's salon in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
A hairdresser clad in face shield and mask blow-dries a client's hair at a women's salon in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
Mask-clad men walk along the promenade of Tahlia street in the centre of Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
Mask-clad men walk along the promenade of Tahlia street in the centre of Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
Mask-clad clients wait for their table to be sanitised upon arriving at a cafe in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
Mask-clad clients wait for their table to be sanitised upon arriving at a cafe in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
A worker sanitises a table for clients at a cafe in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
A worker sanitises a table for clients at a cafe in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
A waiter takes orders from clients at a cafe in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
A waiter takes orders from clients at a cafe in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
A mask-clad waiter takes orders from clients at a cafe in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
A mask-clad waiter takes orders from clients at a cafe in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP
Cars drive down King Fahad boulevard after the authorities eased some of the lockdown measures that had been imposed in a bid to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, in the Saudi capital Riyadh. AFP
Cars drive down King Fahad boulevard after the authorities eased some of the lockdown measures that had been imposed in a bid to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, in the Saudi capital Riyadh. AFP
Cars drive along King Fahad boulevard after the authorities eased some of the lockdown measures that had been imposed in a bid to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus, in the Saudi capital Riyadh. AFP
Cars drive along King Fahad boulevard after the authorities eased some of the lockdown measures that had been imposed in a bid to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus, in the Saudi capital Riyadh. AFP
Workers wearing protective face masks work on a road after authorities eased some of the measures that had been imposed in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus, in the Saudi capital Riyadh. AFP
Workers wearing protective face masks work on a road after authorities eased some of the measures that had been imposed in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus, in the Saudi capital Riyadh. AFP
A volunteer checks the temperature of a man as he arrives to perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in the Saudi holy city of Makkah. AFP
A volunteer checks the temperature of a man as he arrives to perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in the Saudi holy city of Makkah. AFP
Worshippers, keeping a safe distance from one another, perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in the Saudi holy city of Makkah. AFP
Worshippers, keeping a safe distance from one another, perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in the Saudi holy city of Makkah. AFP

Coronavirus: Saudi father and son’s handshake ends in death

Health ministry implores people to keep safe distance from elderly parents as cases increase in kingdom

The National

June 28, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

A simple handshake between father and son ended in tragedy after the coronavirus spread rapidly through their family and caused the elder man's death.

In a series of cautionary tales to highlight the continuing risks of Covid-19, the Saudi Health Ministry highlighted the human cost of widespread disregard for social distancing in the kingdom.

The citizen also infected his mother and 16 other members of the family in the same city, the Saudi Health Ministry said on Friday.

The incident occurred because of “hand shaking and lack of adherence to precautionary measures”.

When visiting parents, “leave distance between you and them, don’t kiss them, and wear a mask”, Health Minister Tawfiq Al Rabiah tweeted.

“Don’t boycott them but do not come too close.”

Saudi authorities have been imploring people to abide by coronavirus containment measures as the country faces sharp increases in confirmed infections, with deaths officially passing 1,500 at the weekend.

The latest official data released on Sunday showed that 40 more people in Saudi Arabia died from the coronavirus and 3,989 more people were infected.

Last week, authorities announced that the number of pilgrims allowed to perform Hajj this year would be limited to "thousands" of people already in the kingdom, a tiny fraction of the 2.5 million who attended last year.

Worshippers perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, after authorities eased lockdown measures that had been imposed in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus. AFP
Worshippers perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, after authorities eased lockdown measures that had been imposed in a bid to stem the spread of coronavirus. AFP
Worshippers gather for the dawn prayer at a mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah. AFP
Worshippers gather for the dawn prayer at a mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah. AFP
A volunteer checks the temperature of a man as he arrives to perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah. AFP
A volunteer checks the temperature of a man as he arrives to perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in the Saudi city of Makkah. AFP
A volunteer checks the temperature of a man as he arrives to perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in Makkah. AFP
A volunteer checks the temperature of a man as he arrives to perform the dawn prayer at a mosque in Makkah. AFP

The World Health Organisation praised the move, which came as a disappointment to many Muslims hoping to participate this year.

“This is another example of the hard choices all countries must make to put health first,” WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“We understand that it was not an easy decision to make. And we also understand it is a major disappointment for many Muslims who are looking forward to making their pilgrimage this year.”

The measures, announced last Monday, came after Saudi Arabia took steps including lockdowns, travel restrictions, closing borders, closing venues and shutting schools, offices and universities to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Read More

Coronavirus: live updates

Worshippers at mosques 'ecstatic' as Egypt allows public prayers

The number of confirmed deaths in the kingdom stands at 1,551 people, with 182,493 cases registered since the start of the outbreak.

In Iran, the country that has been hit hardest by the virus in the Middle East, face masks will become mandatory in some public areas, President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday.

Tehran has held back from enforcing full lockdowns, even as cases continued to rise, and the use of masks and protective equipment has been optional in most areas.

Iran reported its first Covid-19 cases on February 19 and has since struggled to contain the outbreak as the death toll crossed 10,500 and the number of infected reached more than 220,000 on Sunday.

Official figures have shown new confirmed cases have risen daily since early May, when Iran hit a near two-month low in daily recorded infections.

Worldwide, cases exceeded 10 million after a sharp rise in new infections in the US and record daily highs in India.

The US accounts for more than a third of the global tally, with cases now topping 2.6 million and deaths exceeding 128,000.

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Profile of Tarabut Gateway

Founder: Abdulla Almoayed

Based: UAE

Founded: 2017

Number of employees: 35

Sector: FinTech

Raised: $13 million

Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.

While you're here
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Homie%20Portal%20LLC%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20End%20of%202021%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdulla%20Al%20Kamda%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2014%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELaunch%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Cofe

Year started: 2018

Based: UAE

Employees: 80-100

Amount raised: $13m

Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group 

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
War and the virus
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Towering concerns
Series result

1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets

2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets

3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets

4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets

5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets

Sanju

Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani

Director: Rajkumar Hirani

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani

Rating: 3.5 stars

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Avengers: Endgame

Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin

4/5 stars 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog

Name: Abeer Al Bah

Born: 1972

Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992

Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old

Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school

 

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Gremio 1 Pachuca 0

Gremio Everton 95’

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

While you're here
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch
While you're here
ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
 

The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.

Kareem Shaheen on Canada
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Need to know

Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.

Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.

Company profile

Company: Verity

Date started: May 2021

Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif

Based: Dubai

Sector: FinTech

Size: four team members

Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000

Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors

GCCSaudi ArabiaCoronavirus