Saudi Covid app goes dark as kingdom cancels events over rising case numbers

Government to bring back tougher measures to combat the virus

People with face masks walk in front of a banner showing King Salman bin Abdulaziz, right, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, outside a mall in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on February 5. Authorities have re-introduced tough measures to tackle Covid-19. AP Photo

Pedestrians pass a closed restaurant in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh, after the country's authorities suspended dining-in services and banned all recreational and entertainment activities for at least 10 days, under the new Covid-19 rules. AFP

Shoppers pass the empty food court of a mall in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP

Shoppers cross a walkway above an empty food court at a mall in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP

Chairs remain leaning against tables at the closed food court of a mall in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. AFP

Pedestrians wearing masks to protect against Covid-19 walk past a closed restaurant in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP

A waiter at a closed restaurant gives directions to a man in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. AFP

People wear face masks to protect against the spread of the coronavirus in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. AP Photo

A man sits in a closed food court at a mall in the Saudi capital Riyadh. AFP

A children's play area stands empty at a mall in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. AFP

Staff work at a restaurant that is closed to diners, in a mall in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. Takeaway services can still be offered under new anti-coronavirus restrictions. AFP

Saudi woman Hala Abdullah shows her details on the Tawakkalna app, launched by Saudi authorities last year to track coronavirus infections, as she enters a shop in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Restrictions have been tightened recently, following a spike in cases. AP Photo

Saudi Arabia's Covid-19 app needed to get into shops, malls and hotels in the kingdom broke down this week, leaving lines of people waiting outside as events and travel are curtailed because of an increase in case numbers.

Tawakkalna released a statement saying technical teams were working to fix the problems with the app, which shows official Covid-19 case numbers, allows users to request movement permits during lockdowns and notifies users if they have come into contact with someone who subsequently tests positive.

It also displays a QR and colour code showing their status as vaccinated, negative or positive.

People are now required to show the app and their green negative status to enter malls, supermarkets and other public buildings.

But the rapid increase in users appears to have strained the system and left many facing difficulties registering and using the app.

Tawakkalna said that people were still able to register using the website while the app, which has more than five million downloads on the Google play store alone, is being fixed.

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The kingdom is suspending all entertainment events for the next 10 days, limiting public gatherings and implementing stricter measures across the country after a surge in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks.

The measures, set to begin from 10pm on Thursday evening, could be extended if the increase in daily cases does not slow, the Interior Ministry said.

Cinemas, gyms and sports centres, public or private, will close from Thursday evening and there will be no indoor dining at restaurants and cafes across the country.

Overall, the kingdom has reported more than 368,000 cases of Covid-19, with 6,380 deaths.

After a peak in June last year, cases were brought down to less than 100 a day in early January. But Wednesday’s cases were over 300.

The Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing said it will close any establishment that breaches the new rules, for between 24 hours and 30 days.

“If any restaurant is seen serving and entertaining guests within the next 10 days, it will be shut down for 30 days straight. Only take-outs are allowed,” said Ali Hassan, a Lebanese restaurant manager in Jeddah.

All events and parties, including weddings at hotels or private venues and corporate meetings in banquet halls are also suspended for 30 days.

“We are not allowed to have guests staying with us for a month now, so bookings are being cancelled or put on hold. Places used for the purpose of gatherings or for the duration of stay with a large number of people are not permitted [and] all banquet services have been suspended,” said Basha Amar, a Jordanian banquet manager working in a resort outside Jeddah.

"We were leaving for a hiking and meditation trip to Taif tonight with a group of 30 people and were not expecting this so soon. But it's common sense that this will be the right thing to do because not all people are taking the necessary precautions or even practising social distancing, Nadine Amar, a Saudi sports enthusiast living in Jeddah, told The National.

“We hope the cases go down and we can go back to living our lives.”

On Wednesday, the Saudi health minister said the number of vaccinations a day will increase dramatically in the coming days. The kingdom is using the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine and last week said it was receiving three million doses of the AstraZeneca shot from India.

The kingdom is also imposing more preventive measures to boost social distancing and ensure mask-wearing in public.

Mosques and cemeteries were ordered to ensure at least 100 metres between funerals.

The Interior Ministry said these measures are being taken to protect public health and prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and that it is subject to continuous evaluation by health authorities who will take any additional measures if required.

The ministry advised the public to adhere to the procedures and act responsibly.

The measures come in after Saudi Arabia on Tuesday banned foreigners from 20 countries from travelling to the kingdom.