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 competent authorities in Saudi Arabia closely follow the developments of the Coronavirus to take the necessary steps for the public health situation. Additionally, several decisions have already been issued regarding banning travel to some countries in order to preserve the safety and health of everyone. In this regard, the newspaper pointed to the new statement of the Ministry of Interior. According to the ministry, citizens are banned from traveling, directly or indirectly, without obtaining prior permission from the competent authorities to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It was also decided to suspend entry from the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Vietnam Socialism, in addition to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. This decision is based on keenness of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's government on the safety of citizens wishing to travel abroad and in light of the continuing outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) as well as the spread of a new mutated strain of the virus, the newspaper added. The newspaper concluded that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has exerted tremendous efforts to address the pandemic, harnessing all its capabilities to enable the competent authorities to tackle it effectively through implementing precautionary and preventive measures, providing free treatment for infected people and raising awareness on the pandemic. This is in addition to providing COVID-19 vaccines for everyone for free. In every step of tackling the pandemic, Saudi Arabia has achieved great success. Finally, social responsibility leads the next phase of controlling the pandemic. In another context, Al-Riyadh newspaper reported in its editorial that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's tackling of unemployment issue achieves astonishing achievements in light of Saudi Vision 2030, which has been working on developing and improving the labor market and generating suitable jobs for Saudis. Today, the unemployment rates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia decrease, according to estimates of the General Authority for Statistics based on the Labor Force Survey. This decrease came as an affirmation for a previous speech by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, as he affirmed that " We are targeting the normal rate of unemployment between 7% to 4%." Additionally, the unemployment rates in Saudi Arabia witnessed a continuous decline since the start of economic reforms and even continued to decrease after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Saudi Vision's success in addressing the unemployment issue is exceptional, since it has been achieved at a time when the world suffers from the impacts of the pandemic and the decline in global economic growth, the newspaper further said. The success achieved in addressing the unemployment issue reflects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's position, as one of the top 10 countries within the G20 in responding to the economic consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic. It also confirms the efficiency of the plans and strategies implemented by Saudi Arabia to increase the pace of growth and stimulate the private sector, the newspaper concluded.
