Saudi Arabia imposes curfew to curb coronavirus

By Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) – Saudi Arabia will impose a three-week curfew as of Monday as part of the fight against the novel coronavirus, according to the official SPA news agency.

The curfew will start 7 p.m. local time until 6 a.m. (1600-0300 GMT) for three weeks under a royal decree issued by King Salman.

The royal order urged citizens to stay at their homes to help efforts aimed at stemming the spread of the virus.

Saudi authorities on Sunday reported new 19 cases of coronavirus, bringing the total infections in the kingdom to 511.

The virus first emerged in Wuhan, China last December and has spread to at least 180 countries and territories. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic.

There are over 339,250 confirmed cases worldwide, with the death toll surpassing 14,700, while more than 98,830 have recovered.