Ministry of Interior: Suspending All Events and Parties, Including Weddings, Corporate Meetings in Banquet Halls and Wedding Halls or Affiliated with Hotels, for 30 Extendable Days

An official source at the Ministry of Interior has stated that in addition to what was previously announced on 28 Shawwal 1441 AH, corresponding to June 20, 2020, and based on what was previously submitted by the competent health authorities regarding the measures taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the face of the emerging coronavirus (COVID 19), and coinciding with the emergence of indicators of an increase in the epidemic curve in some regions of Saudi Arabia that were caused by lax implementation of the preventive and precautionary measures and approved protocols, and in responding to the necessity for taking preventive and precautionary measures that tailored to the needs of the current situation, and given the emergence of a second outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in countries of the world and the importance of preserving public health and preventing the outbreak of second wave of the epidemic in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which may lead to increased pressure on health facilities and the difficulty of its control, the following has been decided:

First: Suspending all events and parties, including weddings, corporate meetings and the like, in banquet halls and independent wedding halls or affiliated with hotels, as well as in rental rest houses and camps that are used for those purposes, for a period of 30 days, that may be extended.

Second: Without prejudice to what is stated in Clause (First), the maximum number of human gatherings in social events shall not exceed (20) persons for a period of (10) days, that may be extended.

Third: Suspending all entertainment activities and events for a period of (10) days, that may be extended.

Fourth: Closing down cinemas, indoor entertainment centers, independent indoor games places or in restaurants, shopping malls, gyms and sports centers, for a period of (10) days, that may be extended.

Fifth: Suspending the provision of dining services in restaurants, cafes and the like, and limiting it to providing external requests for a period of (10) days, that may be extended, without allowing any gathering that results from those external requests. The Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing will close the establishment that violates this for a period (24) hours, and (48) hours if the violation is repeated for the first time, one week if the violation is repeated for the second time, two weeks if the violation is repeated for the third time, and one month if the violation is repeated for the fourth time and more, without prejudice to the application of any other prescribed penalty for those violations.

Sixth: Intensifying monitoring efforts in implementing protocols and precautions from all authorities, especially the ministries of (Interior, Commerce, Human Resources and Social Development, Tourism, Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, the General Authority for Civil Aviation, and the General Entertainment Authority), and taking the necessary measures to control violations in the places that fall under its supervision and imposing penalties on violators.

Seventh: The Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing shell assign field monitoring teams to ensure compliance with the application of preventive and precautionary measures and approved protocols, social distancing, and wearing masks in cemeteries.

Eighth: Distributing prayers to funerals in cemeteries at all times of the day to reduce the number of mourners at one time, in addition to preparing places for funeral prayer to apply social distancing during prayer, and to separate burial places, at a time, by a distance of 100 meters - as much as possible - in the cemetery, to ensure the separation between the mourners.

Ninth: The Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing, and supervisory authorities and others to intensify the tighten control over restaurants and cafes to ensure the implementation of precautionary measures, and to emphasize restaurants and cafes to activate the use of surveillance cameras, and to set up warning panels that indicate that the place is monitored with cameras to ensure the extent of compliance with the precautionary measures and health protocols.

This will be implemented starting at 10:00 P.M, Thursday, 22 Jumada II 1442 AH, corresponding to February 04, 2021.

The Ministry of Interior confirms that these measures have been taken within the framework of the efforts made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to preserve public health and prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and that it is subject to continuous evaluation with the competent health authorities to take the necessary additional measures if required, and calls upon everyone to sense their responsibility, abide by the instructions and adhere to the procedures to achieve the public interest.