Coronavirus: Saudi cases pass 44,000 as Eid lockdown announced

Nine people died in the kingdom from the virus, bringing the total confirmed deaths to 273

Staff applaud as a nurse, wearing a face mask and a shield to protect against coronavirus, carries baby Amine Tepe out of intensive care unit following a week's treatment, at an Istanbul hospital. Tepe was found to have coronavirus 37 days after her birth, contracting the virus from her parents, according to doctors. The baby has been moved to a hospital ward. AP

An Indian man puts on a mask on the face of a young girl as they wait with their luggage at the check-in counter for a repatriation flight from the Omani capital at Muscat International Airport. AFP

Residents walk in a neighbourhood of Kuwait City as authorities allowed people to exercise for two hours under nationwide lockdown rules. AFP

A clothing store employee measures the temperature of shoppers in the Tunisian capital Tunis. AFP

A view of the the city and traffic during a night-time curfew in Cairo, Egypt. Reuters

Shoppers walk through the main market of the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in Syria's north-east Hasakeh province. AFP

A worker sanitises the hands of mothers as they arrive to enroll their daughters in an UNRWA-run school in the central Gaza Strip. Reuters

A Palestinian worker wearing a mask and gloves sits in an UNRWA-run school in the central Gaza Strip. Reuters

A medical staffer wearing PPE sterilises the entrance of an isolated section for the coronavirus disease treatment at a hotel in Basra. AFP

Mask-clad shoppers buy sweets in Syria's north-east Hasakeh province. AFP

Tunisian people wearing protective face masks walk in the Habib Bourguiba avenue in Tunis. AFP

Mask-clad boys hug each other while playing football in front of the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut. AFP

Mask-clad residents walk in a neighbourhood of Kuwait City. AFP

Indian nationals residing in Oman have their body temperatures measured at a terminal in Muscat International Airport ahead of their repatriation flight from the Omani capital. AFP

Palestinian security forces loyal to Gaza's Hamas rulers check the papers of an intensive care ambulance at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. AFP

Saudi Arabia will introduce a total lockdown across the kingdom over Eid later this month in a major effort to prevent gatherings across the religious holiday casing a spike in coronavirus cases as the total number of infections passed 44,000 on Wednesday.

The Health Ministry reported 1,905 new cases, taking the total to 44,830. The country has recorded a daily average of around 1,000 new cases since mid-April.

But although there has been an increase in the number of cases, the country's death toll remained low, increasing by just 9 on Wednesday to a total of 273.

The ministry said that 2,365 people recovered during the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 17,622.

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry said late on Tuesday that it will implement the full lockdown with a curfew across the country from May 23 to May 27 to contain the coronavirus during the Eid holidays.

The country has adapted to new policies such as suspending the religious pilgrimage of Umrah and enforcing a full lockdown in the holy city of Makkah.

Authorities have not yet announced whether they will proceed with this year's Hajj pilgrimage after Eid.

Other GCC countries recorded new infections on Wednesday.

Qatar said it detected 1,390 new cases during the last 24 hours, the total number of infected individuals is now 26,539.

The country has the second-highest infected cases in the Gulf region after Saudi Arabia.

Kuwait reported 751 new cases of the virus on Wednesday, bringing the total to 11,028.

Seven people died over the last 24 hours, taking the number of fatalities to 82, according to the health ministry.

During the last 24 hours, 162 more patients recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 3,263.

Kuwait has taken extreme measures to stop the spreading of the virus, the country is currently under a 20-day full lockdown.

Bahrain currently has 5,531 cases of the virus and has recorded 9 deaths.

Oman has the lowest number of infected cases in the region.

It recorded 298 new cases during the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 4,019.

Out of those infected, 89 are Omanis and 209 foreigners, the health ministry said.

Oman’s death toll stands at 17 and the total number of recoveries is 1,289.