RIYADH — One hundred and fifty four new cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been registered on Friday, bringing the total to 2,039, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted the spokesman of the Ministry of Health Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali as saying.

These include 1,663 active cases that are still under health follow up and 41 cases under intensive care.

Dr. Al-Abdel Ali said testing hundreds of violators of the residency (iqama) regulation has raised the number of afflicted cases.

During his daily press conference on the latest developments in stemming the spread of coronavirus in the Kingdom, the spokesman said that three cases are related to arrivals from abroad, and the remaining 151 are cases that have socialized with previous cases under medical supervision.

Dr. Al-Abdel Ali asserted once again to the citizens and expatriates not to socialize, gather or come out of their homes unless it is of utmost necessity.

He also disclosed that 351 cases have recovered while the total number of deaths has reached 25.

He stressed that the full picture on the percentages of deaths is not complete yet. The picture can only become complete after the elapse of some time and completion of the virus’ epidemical curves.

However, in their preliminary form, it is clear that there are differences when comparing one country with another. This is due to several factors, including the age levels, the chronic diseases and awareness level.

The breakdown of the figures according to cities shows 34 cases in Madinah, 13 in Riyadh, 30 in Jeddah, 21 in Makkah, six in Al-Qatif, and 17 in Tabuk.

Specific criteria for imposing total curfew

As to the imposition of total curfew for a specific city or region, Dr. Al-Abdel Ali said that there are specific criteria taken into consideration for imposing the total curfew on one city compared to another.