Watch: People sing Saudi Arabia’s national anthem during coronavirus curfew

Citizens and residents in Saudi Arabia chanted the Saudi Arabian national anthem from inside their homes to show solidarity during the partial overnight curfew as part of measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, videos on social media showed.

The chant and support shown on Saturday night mirror other campaigns in the region like in the United Arab Emirates. The show of support by applauding and singing from balconies first started in Europe, with videos showing people in France, the United Kingdom and Italy clapping offering a round of applause to the doctors and nurses working on the frontlines of the crisis.

The response in Saudi Arabia came after a campaign launched on Twitter by citizens and residents under the “Stay at home and sing to your country” hashtag.

Saudi Arabia on Sunday extended the suspension of all domestic and international flights and “working from home” police across the private and public sectors until further notice, according to the ministry of interior.

As of Sunday, residents in Saudi Arabia were banned from entering or exiting the Jeddah governorate in an effort to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus. A recently imposed curfew will also begin at 3 pm instead of 7 pm in the governorate.

Saudi Arabia confirmed four new coronavirus deaths, bringing the total to eight as of March 29, amid 1,299 confirmed cases with 96 new ones, according to the Kingdom’s health ministry.

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