Eid shoppers urged to avoid peak hours in Saudi Arabia

“Shopping at off-peak times reduces time spent waiting at the cashier, and increases the safety of society by reducing overcrowding,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry previously directed malls and commercial establishments to extend working hours to enable shopping at all times “to meet the needs of consumers.”

It added that buying Eid items before the end of the holy month provides wide options for the consumer, and enables them to benefit from the after-sales services (exchange or return).

The ministry also encouraged online shopping through “reliable” stores/websites, adding it is one of the best options to avoid crowding and help prevent the spread of the virus. Commercial establishments have been urged to adhere to the precautionary measures, with the ministry warning that if a facility fails to activate the “Tawakkalna” app for gatherings management, the maximum penalties will be applied.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia reported nine more COVID-19-related deaths on Tuesday. The death toll now stands at 6,922.

The Ministry of Health reported 1,045 new cases, meaning that 414,219 people have now contracted the disease. There are 9,710 remaining active cases, with 1,277 in critical condition.

According to the ministry, 419 of the newly recorded cases were in the Riyadh region, 221 in the Makkah region, 155 in the Eastern Province and 37 in the Madinah region.

In addition, 983 patients have recovered from the disease, bringing the total to 397,587 recoveries.

Saudi Arabia has so far conducted 16,708,703 PCR tests, with 64,782 carried out in the past 24 hours.

Saudi health clinics set up by the ministry as testing hubs or treatment centers have helped hundreds of thousands of people around the Kingdom since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Among those testing hubs are Taakad (make sure) centers and Tetamman (rest assured) clinics.

Taakad centers provide COVID-19 testing for those who show no or mild symptoms or believe they have come into contact with an infected individual, while the Tetamman clinics offer treatment and advice to those with virus symptoms, such as fever, loss of taste and smell and breathing difficulties.

Appointments to either services can also be made through the ministry’s Sehhaty app.

Saudis and expats in the Kingdom continue to receive their jabs of the coronavirus vaccine, with 8,585,070 people having been inoculated so far.