RIYADH — With 1,223 new coronavirus infections recorded in Saudi Arabia during the last 24 hours, the total number of cases now stand at 17,522, the health ministry spokesman said on Sunday. The ministry also recorded three new fatalities after one Saudi national and two non-Saudis died during the period, raising the death toll to 139. The ages of the deceased range between 39 and 72 years. An additional 142 people have recovered within the past 24 hours, raising the total number of recoveries to 2,357, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted the ministry's spokesman Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali as saying. The Kingdom will continue to see an increase in cases as medical teams continue their testing efforts, the spokesman added. He also said field testing has led to the discovery of clusters of infections throughout the country. Makkah with 272 cases continues to be on top of the list, followed by 267 cases in Riyadh, 217 in Madinah, 117 in Jeddah and 113 in Basih. There were 54 infections in Unaizah, 51 in Dammam, 20 in Buraidah, 19 in Jubail, 17 each in Hufof and Baqiq, 14 in Al-Aridhah, 10 each in Taif and Abu Arish. Three cases each were found in Khulais, Tabuk, Al-Zulaifi and Sajir. There were two cases each in Qatif, Hafr Al-Batin, Qurayyat and Wadi Al-Dwasir, one each in Al-Majaridah, Khamis Mushayt, Al-Khobar, Jazan and Arar. Even though Saudi Arabia has relaxed some restrictions and curfews with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, authorities continue to urge people to only go out when necessary, and to wear a face mask, maintain physical distancing and to avoid crowds while in public. The spokesman said authorities continue to monitor and evaluate the precautionary measures and will adjust accordingly in terms of increasing or reducing restrictions. He said the decision to lift the curfew restrictions partially was taken after reviewing all health and other measures. Also mostly hit areas where the virus is spreading was also taken in considertion. The spokesperson urged everyone to keep this level of commitment, saying "the upcoming stage is important, and the virus is still present." Ministry of Interior spokesman Col. Talal Al-Shalhoub confirmed that traveling between cities, all domestic and international flights and workplace attendance are still suspended until further notice. Al-Shalhoub said social gatherings involving more than five people is still disallowed. "Returning back to normal life requires the full commitment of all the people," he said.
