Saudi Arabia recorded 140 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 2,179, a health ministry spokesman announced during a press conference Saturday.
Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.
He also said 420 people have recovered so far in the Kingdom and 29 fatalities were recorded as of Saturday.
The corpses of coronavirus victims are “treated with honor” from the moment they die until they are buried, the spokesman said. Medical professionals and other qualified practitioners wearing protective equipment wash the bodies following Islamic guidelines. Corpses are then wrapped in a shroud, there is no longer a risk of infection.
The Kingdom has taken several measures in an effort to combat the spread of the virus. Pilgrimage for national and foreign worshippers was suspended last month. Most recently, Saudi Arabia asked Muslims around the world to be patient and delay their plans for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages amid uncertainties surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Kingdom’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah.
As part of the measures implemented, King Salman bin Abdulaziz ordered coronavirus treatment to be available for anyone in need of medical care, including people who have overstayed their visa in the Kingdom.
The Kingdom urges all of those showing symptoms not to hesitate in going to a hospital, whether private or public, to get tested and receive the proper care under King Salman’s new order. This includes visa violators who are not legally in the country.
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