Saudi Arabia imposes 24-hour curfew in Makkah, Madinah

Saudi Arabia imposed a 24-hour daily curfew in Makkah and Madinah, starting today, until further notice to control the coronavirus outbreak.

Residents will be allowed to leave their homes for necessary reasons such as buying food and medicines only between 6am and 3pm within their neighborhood areas, Saudi Press Agency reported, citing a statement from the Ministry of Interior.

Those wishing to use banking services or ATMs will be allowed as per the rules announced by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) in conjunction with the ministry.

Commercial activities within the residential neighborhoods in both cities will be only restricted to pharmacies, gas stations, supermarkets, and banks.

The Interior Ministry statement further said curfew exemptions still apply to those in vital public and private sectors such as security, military and media. Those who work in health services are also excluded from the curfew.

The ministry also urged residents in both cities to use online express delivery services to purchase food and medicines.

Saudi Arabia earlier imposed a daily curfew in Jeddah to enable healthcare authorities to provide the best medical services to contain the spread of coronavirus.