Riyadh  — Saudi Arabia imposed a 24-hour lockdown on residents in all of its major cities on Monday and ordered non-essential businesses to shut until further notice in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The curfew will apply in the capital of Riyadh as well as the cities of Jeddah, Dammam, Dhahran, Tabuk, Hofuf, Taif, Al Qatif and Khobar, the interior ministry said in a statement published on the official Saudi Press Agency. All commercial enterprises other than pharmacies, medical centres, groceries and a handful of other essential services must close, the ministry said...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.