Saudi newspapers highlighted in their editorials today a number of issues at local, regional and international arenas. Al-Bilad newspaper said in its editorial that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is keen to tackle the health, economic and social repercussions of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, the Saudi government has provided all support to all concerned authorities, in addition to providing free treatment to all citizens and residents in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was one of the first countries that took proactive measures to address the outbreak of pandemic. The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has also provided the vaccines for everyone for free. In this regard, the newspaper pointed to the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud which stated that the validity of iqamas (residency permits), exit and re-entry visas, as well as visit visas of expatriates who are currently stranded in the countries facing travel ban, will be extended free of cost. The newspaper added that the extension falls within the ongoing efforts being taken by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to deal with the impacts and fallouts of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In another context, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported in its editorial that the objectives of Green Riyadh Project, one of Riyadh's Four megaprojects launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in 2019, cope with the demands of modern life and promote public health. The newspaper added that the Green Riyadh Project, which aims to increase the city's per capita green space from 1.7 to 28 square meters which is 16 times compared to the current and increase the total green coverage in the city from 1.5% to 9%, anticipated what the World Health Organization (WHO) calls for as well as its warnings about the danger of climate and its impact on human safety. Additionally, WHO stated that climate change is expected to cause hundreds of thousands of deaths per year by 2030. The newspaper further said that the Green Riyadh Project meets all the demands called for by the WHO, since trees and vegetation have a major environmental role in tackling environmental pollution by reducing problems. The newspaper concluded by pointing to the first phase of the project that included planting about 31,000 trees and 100,000 bushes trees in most of the city's major roads and streets.
