Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia records five new deaths as cases exceed 22,000

Kingdom eases restrictions put in place at Qatif province

A man wearing a protective face mask buys vegetables at a market following the spread of coronavirus, in Qatif, Saudi Arabia March 9, 2020. Reuters

Five new deaths were recorded in Saudi Arabia on Thursday as the number of infected cases surpassed 22,000.

The Health Ministry reported 1,351 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number to 22,753, with 162 deaths.

Saudi authorities have reported on a daily basis more than 1,000 new Covid-19 infections since April 17, when the number of cases was about 7,000.

The country is continuing with widespread testing while gradually lifting restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The ministry said that 210 people recovered from the virus, raising the total number to 3,163.

On Wednesday evening, the government announced it was easing the coronavirus measures it has put in place in the city of Qatif.

Authorities said that entry to and exit from the Qatif governorate is now permitted.

The ministry of interior said it will permit movement in the city from 9am to 5pm to commence from Thursday.

The government imposed on Monday a 24-hour curfew in the capital Riyadh and a number of cities as a precautionary measure against coronavirus spread in early April.

The cities are Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran, Al Hofuf, Jeddah, Taif, AlKhobar.

Other GCC countries also reported an increase in coronavirus cases.

Qatar said that 845 new cases emerged during the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 13,409.

The health ministry said the number of recoveries stood at 1,372 as it reported 129 new recovered cases.

The majority of the new cases were expatriate workers who came in contact with infected individuals, the ministry said.

Two people died from the disease in Kuwait on Thursday, bringing the total to 26 fatalities.

The latest cases were two Indian residents, a 53 year-old and a 51 year-old, health ministry spokesman Abdullah Al Sanad said.

Mr Al Sanad said that 284 new coronavirus cases emerged during the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 4,024 cases.

The total number of  recoveries stood at 1,539, after 150 patients recovered during the last 24 hours.

Oman reported 74 new cases of the virus, bringing the total to 2,348, the health ministry said.

The new cases are 39 Omanis and 35 foreigners, the ministry said. The overall number of recoveries now stands at 495.

The country eased some coronavirus measures earlier this week by lifting checkpoints put in place to restrict movements between provinces.

Authorities permitted some businesses to reopen.