Saudi Arabia to benefit from COVID-19 experience to avoid impact on private sector: Al-Hogail

Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Majid Al-Hogail

Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Majid Al-Hogail, said Saudi Arabia will benefit from its experience in the first phase of confronting COVID-19, through appropriate precautionary measures that do not affect the private sector.

This came during a virtual meeting organized by the Council of Saudi Chambers with markets and restaurants’ owners to discuss precautionary measures in order to face the second wave of COVID-19.

"We are going through difficult conditions in light of the second wave of COVID-19, and the private sector is the first line of defense. We need to develop the precautionary measures within two weeks, to ensure quick return to as we were before the suspension," Al-Hogail said.

He stressed the importance of the private sector’s commitment to the precautionary measures in order to prevent the situation from worsening or closures, as commercial activities will be negatively affected.

The meeting included recommendations and suggestions from businessmen and participants on COVID-19 precautionary measures.

According to the data compiled by Argaam, the Ministry of Interior recently announced the suspension of all events and parties for a period of 30 days, entertainment activities, cinemas, sports centers, and internal orders for restaurants for a period of 10 days, as of Feb. 4, 2021.