Saudi Arabia shuts down 21 firms for breaking COVID-19 precautions

Municipality intensifies efforts to enforce compliance of coronavirus safety regulations

Abu Dhabi: The Riyadh Municipality shut down 21 facilities on Thursday for violating precautionary measures to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, and imposed sanctions and fines determined by the regulations.

The municipality has intensified its control efforts due to the partial curfew, which runs from 6am to 3pm. It has carried out 347 checks and visited 604 businesses, during which it confiscated 1,72 million kg of invalid materials, and caught 138 illegal vendors.

The municipal inspectors have been working since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic to verify compliance of businesses with the instructions issued by the authorities, including adherence to specified times, regulating the entry and exit of customers and avoiding crowds.

The Riyadh Municipality stressed that the safety of the community is a top priority, and that it will not hesitate to take action against the facilities that are not following the instructions. It affirmed at the same time the importance of integrating efforts, and cooperating with all businesses by adopting preventive measures to protect the health of all.