KUWAIT CITY, March 8, (Agencies): Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday banning entry and exit from the eastern Qatif Governorate where 11 people tested positive for infection with coronavirus, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

An official source of the Ministry of Interior declared suspending entry into and exist from Qatif Governorate temporarily via Sihat in the South and Safwa n the North. Returnees who live in the province will be allowed to reach their houses, the official source said. Work at all government departments and private institutions that perform non-vital tasks in the province will stop.

The official source explained that exemptions are applicable on pharmacies, supply stores, petrol stations, health, environmental, municipal and security facilities.

The source noted that the stringent measures were intended to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Saudi Health Ministry announced Sunday four new cases for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) of three females and one male nationals.

A Ministry press release said Sunday that three of the cases were in contact with previously announced positive cases coming from Iran, while the fourth case is of a national coming from Iran via the UAE, without announcing at the Saudi boarders that he came from Iran.

All cases are isolated and offered proper medical care in accordance with approved procedures, the release noted, indicating that all infected cases come from Al-Qatif area, eastern the Kingdom. The Saudi Ministry of Health said all returnees from Italy, South Korea, Egypt and Lebanon in the last fortnight should quarantine themselves at home for another couple of weeks starting from their arrival in the Kingdom.

The self-quarantine is a precaution meant to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Ministry said in a press release on Saturday. It also called on medical and nursing staff returning from the four countries to abide by the preventive measures.

The Salmi and Al-Nuwaiseeb borders are free from travelers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or coming to the country because of the measures taken by the security authorities in the Kingdom, reports Al-Anba daily.

The sources pointed out that the personnel at the borders receive Saudis coming from the Kingdom’s ports and they will also be allowed to leave from Kuwait through the border points, but not allow any citizen of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to enter the Kingdom. The sources stated any Saudi with his Kuwaiti wife or from any other Gulf state will be allowed to leave but not the Saudi wife.

The sources pointed all decisions taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia concerning entry and exits are interlinked with other GCC states. The sources suggested the land borders will be closed soon and no one will be allowed to enter or leave the Kingdom. Qatari Ministry of Health announced on Sunday three new coronavirus infection cases — among the expatriates — in the country bringing the total number of these cases to 15.

The ministry said in a statement that the patients were quarantined. People who had been close to them were either quarantined or screened. Jordan’s Cabinet directed citizens returning from countries that are not widely affected by the coronavirus to go into a two-week home quarantine to prevent the spread of the virus.