Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The Saudi Ministry of Interior warned on Thursday (Dec. 30) that hefty penalties would be slapped on those who repeatedly violate the precautionary measures and preventive protocols to stem the spread of coronavirus.

The ministry said in a statement that failure to wear a medical mask or cloth mask or what covers the nose and mouth is a violation of these preventive measures against coronavirus. The penalty for not wearing a mask is 1,000 Saudi riyal (some 266 U.S. dollars) for an individual.

The fines will be doubled with the repetition of the violation and it may reach up to a maximum amount of 100,000 Saudi riyal (about 26,700 U.S. dollars) in the event of the repeated violations, the ministry said while emphasizing that wearing a mask maintains the safety of individuals in addition to limiting the spread of the epidemic and preventing infection of COVID-19.

Saudi Arabia has re-imposed coronavirus preventive measures such as wearing masks and maintaining social distancing effective from 7.00 a.m. on Thursday (Dec. 30) following a surge in cases of coronavirus, especially the mutated Omicron variant.

The Public Health Authority (Weqaya) has updated health protocols for commercial centers, markets, malls, restaurants and cafes effective from Thursday.

According to the updated protocols, customers are required to scan the barcode through the Tawakkalna application to automatically verify their immunization status before entering the premises of the facilities.

The updated protocols stipulate restricting entry to only those individuals who have completed the vaccination with immune status on the app.

Source: Saudi Gazette

Reporting by Indonesia Window