RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior will ban individuals who have not received the vaccine from entering government buildings, attending activities and events, and using public transportation from Aug. 1.

The ministry said they would ban unvaccinated people from “attending any economic, commercial, cultural, entertainment or sports events, or any governmental or private facilities, including educational institutions, whether they are employed” there or visiting to complete a service.

It added that those who have been vaccinated must present the Tawakkalna app to provide evidence they have received the vaccine, whether citizens or residents, and this includes using public transport.

The Kingdom confirmed 12 new COVID-19 related deaths on Monday, raising the total number of fatalities to 8,179.

The Ministry of Health confirmed 1,252 new cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 519,395 people have now contracted the disease. 

Of the total number of cases, 10,799 remain active and 1,424 in critical condition.

According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in Makkah with 316, followed by the capital Riyadh with 265, the Eastern Province with 169, Asir recorded 145, and Qassim confirmed 81 cases.

The health ministry also announced that 1,299 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 500,428.

The ministry renewed its call on the public to register to receive the vaccine, and adhere to the measures and abide by instructions.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce said it carried out 2,310 field tours in the Madinah region during the Eid Al-Adha holiday to monitor that commercial establishments were adhering to precautionary measures.

During the inspections, which included food stores, commercial complexes, gas stations, and gold and precious metals stores, 39 violations were recorded, and authorities seized 39,072 food products, and 6,570 products that violated the Saudi standard specifications. Regular procedures and penalties were imposed on violating facilities. 

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs reopened five mosques in four regions after temporarily evacuating and sterilizing them after five people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of mosques closed and reopened after being sterilized to 1,898 within 170 days.

The coronavirus pandemic has affected over 195 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 4.17 million.

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