Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia arrests doctor who discharged infected family early

A doctor in Saudi Arabia was arrested after he discharged a family who were infected with the coronavirus before they had fully recovered, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday, citing the Kingdom’s Control and Anti-Corruption Authority as saying.

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The doctor who works at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health had also allowed a relative, who had tested negative for COVID-19, to quarantine with her infected family, the authority said.

The family was then permitted to leave the facility even though they had not recovered.

Saudi Arabia has reported a total of 213,716 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,968 virus-related deaths so far.

The arrest is one of 105 criminal cases filed by the authority in the last month as part of its efforts to crack down on individuals who try to exploit the public office or harm members of the public, SPA reported.

A Ministry of Interior employee was also arrested for requesting bribes from expatriates in exchange for cancelling their curfew violations, according to the anti-corruption authority.

All parties involved in the 105 cases will be held accountable for their crimes, the authority said.

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