Saudi Arabia allocates $133mln coronavirus support to help vulnerable

JEDDAH: The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development will allocate SR500 million ($133 million) to the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) to help people struggling with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

Vulnerable groups including the elderly, widows, the disabled, families of prisoners, divorced women, students and stranded Umrah visitors will benefit from the initiative, spokesman Nasser Al-Hazani told a daily press conference on Saturday.

A food supply initiative has also been launched to provide for families across the Kingdom who have been badly affected by the outbreak.

Al-Hazani said that the SFD and cooperating entities have spent almost SR38 million on the initiative, which has helped 37,597 families so far.

The Ministry of Health’s spokesman, Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly, said that 382 new cases have been recorded in the Kingdom, increasing the total number of cases to 4,033 since the beginning of the outbreak, with 3,261 active cases, 67 of which are in critical condition.

He said that 35 patients have recovered, boosting the total number of recoveries to 720, while the death toll reached 52 on Saturday, with five new deaths recorded.

Dr. Abdl Al-Aly said the latest victims included a 33-year-old Saudi man in Jeddah and a 72-year-old Saudi man in Madinah, highlighting that the virus can strike any age group.

He urged people to use the e-service provided by the ministry via a mobile app or the website (Mawid), where 40 cases were confirmed through a self-evaluation process.

Al-Aly said that the number of coronavirus cases in the Kingdom is likely to rise.

However, the ministry’s daily laboratory examinations to counter the spread of the virus will also be increased.

“It is an early move in a positive direction to manage the spread and limit the pandemic,” he said.

“As we expand our testing, we expect to reach cases early and strengthen containment of the pandemic.”

Al-Aly said that early testing can identify cases before symptoms appear, which helps to curb the spread of the virus.

“With the rise in examinations, the number of cases is expected to rise, but it is an early increase and in a positive and favorable direction to control the cases in a way that limits the spread of the pandemic,” he added.