Following King Salman’s address on coronavirus in Saudi Arabia, thirteen hotels were transformed to quarantine centres. The monarch stressed on Thursday that it is essential to enhance both the individual and collective awareness, so, the forced isolation will be comfortable and timely.
The authorities on Riyadh and other cities should follow instructions by health ministry amid the exceptional circumstances engulfing the planet. In Saudi Arabia’s, the head of the command and control centre in the Riyadh region, Muhammad Al-Tuwaijri, confirmed that preventative measures to combat the new coronavirus outbreak are being implemented.
As the official said, relevant authorities and boards convening daily to assess the situation. Mr Tuwaijri also reiterated that arrivals in Saudi Arabia over the last period are being quarantined in 5-star and 7-star hotels. To curb coronavirus spreading, 13 hotels in Riyadh have been equipped and transformed into quarantines.
According to the health authorities, more hotels are available for transformation should the need arise as the Middle Eastern country continues to evacuate citizens from coronavirus-hit countries worldwide. Citizens brought back are being quarantined for 14 days.
To summarize, Mr Tuwaijri stressed that the goal is not only to monitor those tested positive for the pathogen, but also to track and contact those with whom they have been in contact.
“The point of placing a person in quarantine is not short to getting a diagnosis, but it is to ensure that they do not harm others,” Muhammad Tuwaijri underlined, saying that an infected individual may not show any symptoms.
In Riyadh and other cities across the country, at the hotel quarantines, patients are being regularly tested and monitored by on-site medical cadres.
King Salman insisted on urgent developing a package of measures to address the virus by preventing public gatherings and eating in restaurants alongside other steps.
As Tuwaijri noted, the decrease or increase in the number of cases depends on the response of the community, confirming that citizens and residents are practising social distancing, as it limits the spread of the novel virus. Such a responsible behaviour ushers in the gradual decline of the COVID-19.
