Saudi Arabia has suspended attendance of government employees for 16 days as part of the Kingdom’s precautionary measure against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The Kingdom’s Ministry of Interior said they plan to reduce the presence of crowds to combat the spread of the virus. However, those in the health, security and military sectors will be exempted from the new policy.
The government said it will instead promote electronic transaction, activate electronic service delivery platforms in the service sectors of all government and private agencies, and limit commercial dealings with companies and their representatives to electronic and telephone communication as much as possible.
In addition, SPA reported that the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development encouraged companies, private institutions, and charitable societies to reduce the numbers of employees in workplaces and promote a work-from-home policy instead for continuity.
The ministry also allowed selected people to work-from-home as long as they submit a medical report not older than one month—including pregnant women, those with respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease, acquired or hereditary immunodeficiency diseases, users of immunosuppressive drugs, and those being treated from tumors.
Saudi has also ordered all companies to require their expat employees to self-quarantine for two weeks if they are either arriving in the Kingdom or showing respiratory symptoms even without any travel history.
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