Saudi Arabia tightens Covid-19 regulations

Social distancing reimposed at Makkah’s Grand Mosque and Prophet's Mosque

A Saudi pupil collects his books at a school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has reintroduced the mandatory wearing of face masks. Reuters

A masked Saudi man prays at Al Rajhi Mosque in Riyadh. Reuters

A Saudi woman wearing protective gloves at a supermarket in Riyadh.

A Saudi nurse checks a patient's temperature at a mobile clinic in the Ajyad Almasafi district of Makkah. AFP

Masked pedestrians in Riyadh during Saudi Arabia's 90th annual National Day celebrations. Reuters

A security man checks worshippers before socially-distanced Friday prayers at Al Rajhi Mosque in Riyadh. Reuters

A woman has her temperature checked at Riyadh International Airport, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

Vegetable shopping at a supermarket in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Reuters

A woman wearing a face mask at a supermarket in Riyadh. Reuters

A Saudi family on Tahlia Street in Riyadh as nightlife resumed after the government eased some coronavirus restrictions. Reuters

A Saudi volunteer supervisor checks the temperature of another volunteer before preparing boxes of iftar meals during Ramadan 2020. Reuters

Saudi Arabia has begun inoculating children aged 12 and older with the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: Saudi Ministry of Health

Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron

Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday that all citizens must wear masks at all times and maintain a social distance from others to limit the spread of the latest coronavirus variant, Omicron.

The kingdom reimposed health measures as countries around the world recorded a rapid increase in numbers of infections.

The new regulations take effect from Thursday morning, according to the Ministry of Interior.

Social distancing was reimposed at Makkah’s Grand Mosque and Prophet's Mosque, state news agency SPA reported on Thursday.

Social distancing measures will be applied to worshippers in prayer areas and pilgrims performing Umrah on the virtual tawaf paths to protect the health and safety of visitors, an official source at the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Holy Mosque and the Prophet's Holy Mosque told SPA.

Visitors and workers at the Two Holy Mosques are urged to wear masks and observe access times on their permits.

“We have directed the reimposition for the public to wear masks and apply social distancing measures in all places [closed and open], activities and events,” the ministry said.

Those who do not obey the regulations will face with charges, the ministry said. It also urged people to ensure they are vaccinated against the virus.

The new regulations come after health officials reported an increase in infections in recent days.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health announced 744 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 231 recoveries during the previous 24 hours, with the number of critical cases reaching 43.

It brought the total number of infections in the country 554,665, while the recovery tally reached 541,388. The ministry reported one death, bringing the number of fatalities to 8,874.

Authorities said in early December that coronavirus vaccine boosters would be considered as a condition for entering public places such as shops, cafes and other meeting places, starting in February.

The decision applies to those who are aged 18 and over and those who received their second vaccine dose at least eight months ago. In August, the Ministry of Interior made two doses of the approved vaccine mandatory for people to enter all public places in the kingdom.

The Omicron variant, also known as B. 1.1.529, is a coronavirus strain with an unusually large number of mutations. It was first detected in South Africa, but has since spread around the world.