Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Education announced on Saturday that university and school students over the age of 12 will be considered absent if they have not yet received both COVID-19 vaccine doses starting from Sunday Sept.12.

The ministry called on students to complete both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, in order to “achieve a safe in-person return to educational facilities, leading to community immunity and a return to normal life,” as the new school year started two weeks back in the Kingdom.

The ministry had decided earlier to postpone the calculation of absence for the first two weeks from the beginning of the academic year for students who did not complete two doses of vaccination against coronavirus in order to give more time for the students to get inoculated.

The latest decision will be applicable to students of universities, technical and vocational training institutes as well as for students of public education who have completed 12 years of age or above.

The Kingdom has witnessed a downward curve at the weekly infection map and the epidemiological indices of coronavirus cases is moving towards a positive direction.

Saudi Arabia has administered more 39.2 million doses of the vaccines till date since the start of vaccination.