King Salman has urged adherence to “painful but necessary” orders to contain the coronavirus, saying the official measures conform to principles at the heart of Islam to preserve communal well-being.
The number of people infected in the kingdom surged over the last 11 days, with more than 2,000 cases recorded daily, as the authorities relaxed bans on movement then tightened them again for the Eid Al Fitr celebration.
In an Eid message, the monarch said that “safety requires from everybody to understand this special circumstance preventing Muslims from going to pray for Eid and to exchange visits”.
He said obeying the restrictions means “adhering to our rightful religion and its teachings amid downturns and contagions” with “sympathy and compassion”.
The intervention, in personal terms, by King Salman comes after several officials in Saudi Arabia said that widespread breaches of orders for people to stay home are undermining the government’s efforts to halt the coronavirus spread.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s top oil exporter and has the largest population among the six-member Gulf Co-operation Council.
The Saudi Health Ministry said on Sunday that nine more people died from the coronavirus, bringing the death toll from the contagion to 390. Another 2,399 cases were recorded in the last 24 hours.
Official data show 72,560 people have been infected in the kingdom, with no signs of deceleration in daily recorded cases.
King Salman thanked those who would be spending Eid at home “committed with the utmost awareness and responsibility to the social distancing measures”.
“Some of the precautionary measures might be painful, but they are necessary,” King Salman said in a letter, read out on television by Information Minister Majid Al Qasibi.
King Salman praised citizens and residents alike for "loyally supporting the pre-emptive and treatment measures taken by the respective authorities in our country”.
Elsewhere in the GCC Kuwait said eight more people died from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 156. Cases jumped by another 838 to reach 21,302.
Oman said 513 more people were infected, representing a significant jump in daily cases. Total cases in the sultanate officially stand at 7,770.
Qatar announced another 1,501 cases and two new deaths. The Health Minister said total deaths on the island from the coronavirus have reached 23 and there were 34,521 people with "active" infections.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
South Africa v India schedule
Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg
ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion
T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
'Downton Abbey: A New Era'
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
Rating: 4/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Thanksgiving meals to try
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
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