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24 Nov 2020
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Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia residents praise government plan for free vaccines for all

November 24, 2020

Residents living in Saudi Arabia have praised government measures to make coronavirus vaccines available for free for everyone living in the Kingdom.Visit our dedicated coronavirus site here for all the latest updates.Saudi Arabian surgeon Dr. Aayed Alqahtani, a professor and consultant of minimally invasive and obesity surgery at King Saud University, said: “This announcement is expected from Saudi’s leaderships as they put controlling COVID-19 as their first priority from the day one. As we look around the world we see the cases rise while in Saudi Arabia the cases are going down every day because of strong and great commitment from the start.”“Initially the Saudi government offered all diagnostic and treatment measures free of charge for all those living in Saudi Arabia – regardless of their nationality, legal status, gender or otherwise.“Now when it comes to the vaccine they have announced the same – where they will offer it free of charge for all. When it comes to humanity and health, Saudi does not at all blink an eye on cost calculation.”Ministry of Health spokesperson Mohammed Abdelali announced the free vaccines-for-all measures in the daily coronavirus press conference on Monday“The COVID-19 vaccine will be available to everyone in Saudi Arabia for Free... We hope to have enough vaccines to cover 70 percent of the country’s population by the end of 2021,” state television Al-Ekhbariya TV quoted the Ministry of Health as saying. “Any vaccine must be safe, effective and approved by the relevant authorities.”Abdulrahman Inayat, director at W7Worldwide, a Saudi PR firm, also welcomed the government measures.“This generosity is not new to our government, whether through its Vision 2030, its programs or its massive efforts to combat COVID-19 on the national and international level, the Kingdom has been actively working towards bettering the lives citizens and residents.”“From the time COVID-19 hit the Kingdom, was one of a few countries that provided treatment for COVID-19 patients for free for citizens and residents and they are now building on their commitment towards people wellness and health by providing the COVID-19 vaccine for free.”Ahlam Ali, a Saudi national, said: “The Kingdom and its leadership have been one of the few to demonstrate its humanity and care towards citizens and residents from the moment COVID-19 affected Saudi Arabia.”"And we see that once again that the health and lives of people will always be the number one priority by providing the vaccine for free. It truly gives the people living in Saudi Arabia a sense of pride and security.”To date, there have been 355,741 COVID-19 cases in Saudi Arabia, including 5,811 deaths.The leaders of the 20 biggest economies in the world (G20) committed at the end of the G20 Riyadh Summit on Sunday to “spare no effort” to ensure the fair distribution of vaccines against the coronavirus worldwide.After a virtual summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, the G20 leaders said in the final communique: “We have mobilized resources to address the immediate financing needs in global health to support the research, development, manufacturing and distribution of safe and effective COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.”For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Read more:Saudi Arabia will make coronavirus vaccine available for free to everyone: MinistryAs the world battles COVID-19, Middle East wins war on its virus predecessor: MERShttps://english.alarabiya.net/en/coronavirus/2020/11/22/G20-G20-leaders-commit-to-fair-distribution-of-coronavirus-vaccines-worldwide-Statement
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia residents praise government plan for free vaccines for all

24 Nov 2020
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Coronavirus: UAE will reopen mosques for Friday prayer starting from December 4

November 24, 2020

The United Arab Emirates will reopen mosques for Friday prayers starting from December 4, with worshippers having to observe strict coronavirus precautions, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) announced on Tuesday.The UAE had suspended prayer in mosques in mid-March as part of the efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The authorities had begun gradually reopening mosques on July 1, but Friday prayers remained suspended.Visit our dedicated coronavirus site here for all the latest updates.The NCEMA said the move to reopen mosques to Friday group prayers was "an exceptional step acheived through studies conducted by the institutions of the UAE to resume religious activity in places of worship.""The Fatwa Council of the UAE issued a fatwa (Islamic directive or edict) that includes an obligaton for all groups of society to fully adhere to health and safety instructions issued by the authorities to prevent the transmission and spread of COVID-19. It's not permissible to violate this in any way," the NCEMA added.The coronavirus precautions for Friday group prayers include limiting the capacity of worshippers in the mosque to 30 percent, allowing prayers in the outer courtyards, broadcasting the prayer over loudspeaker, enforcing keeping a distance of two meters between every two worshippers, and entry and exit movement rules."For Friday prayers, mosques will be allowed to open their doors 30 minutes before the prayers start and close the doors 30 minutes after prayers have been performed," NCEMA said.Other COVID-19 precautions for Friday prayers include limiting the Friday prayers sermon to no more than 10 minutes, mosque workers and volunteers must organize entry and exit of worshipers, and all worshippers must wear a mask and bring their own prayer matt which must not be left behind in the mosque or shared with anyone else."Health procedures also include avoiding exposed surfaces and door handles, adhering to and maintaining spacing and avoiding crowds. We would like to emphasize that worshippers read from their own personal Quran or smart devices, as well as downloading UAE approved health apps and activitation them while attending the prayers in the mosque," NCEMA said.Each worshipper must perform wudu or the ablution rite ( the act of washing the face, arms and legs before prayer) at home, and senior citizens, childern, those with chronic diseases or repiratory illnesses and those suffering from weak immunity systems must perform prayers at home, according to a fatwa from the Fatwa Council of the UAE."The closure of ablution places, toilets and women's prayer halls will continue and we announce a change in the times of daily prayers by 15 minutes before the call for prayers and 10 minutes after prayers, except for Maghrib prayer, which will be called 5 minutes before the call for prayer," NCEMA said.The NCEMA also banned the distribution of food and water in mosques, and added that mosques and churches will continue to be closed in industrial areas.The UAE's coronavirus tally stood at 161,365 confirmed cases, 150,261 recovered patients and 559 deaths.The NCEMA announced that the rate of positive COVID-19 cases from tests conducted by the country's healthcare authorities remain at 1 percent, similar to last week."This rate is the lowest compared to the European Union, Middle East and North Africa region and countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)," the NCEMA said."The death rate decreased to 0.3 percent for the first time since the beginning of monitoring deaths due to COVID-19 in the UAE, which is one of the lowest rates in the world compared to the European Union, the Middle East and North Africa region and OECD," the authority said.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Read more:Coronavirus: UAE passes 150,000 cases of COVID-19 with 1,210 new infectionsUAE reopens land-border crossings closed due to coronavirusRise in UAE coronavirus daily cases ‘normal’, expected to continue: Official
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: UAE will reopen mosques for Friday prayer starting from December 4