Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia's case count passes 10,000

Kuwait introduces electronic bracelets to monitor quarantine

Customers queue outside a supermarket while maintaining social distancing during a nationwide curfew to stem the spread of COVID-19 in the Saudi capital Riyadh on April 13, 2020, ahead of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. From cancelled iftar feasts to suspended mosque prayers, Muslims across the Middle East are bracing for a bleak month of Ramadan fasting as the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic lingers. Ramadan is a period for both self reflection and socialising. Believers fast from dawn to dusk and then gather around a family or community meal each evening of Islam's holiest month, which begins later this week and ends with Eid al-Fitr festivities.
 / AFP / FAYEZ NURELDINE
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Saudi Arabia's confirmed cases of Covid-19 passed 10,000 on Monday with the health ministry announcing another 1,122 infections of the novel coronavirus detected over the previous  24 hours.

The kingdom now has 10,484 confirmed cases, the ministry said. Six more patients died, raising the death toll to 103.

Saudi authorities have reported daily case increases of more than 1,000 since Friday, despite issuing strict guidelines to control the spread of infection.

On Friday, Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Al Sheikh, the kingdom's highest religious authority, said Muslims should perform prayers at home during Ramadan and for Eid Al Fitr at the end of the holy month.

Other GCC states also reported case increases on Monday.

Kuwait announced 80 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths, raising its tally of infections and fatalities to 1,995 and nine, respectively.

The government said it would start asking people entering the country to wear an electronic tracking bracelet to ensure they were complying with regulations.

Bahrain introduced a similar measure earlier this month for people in placed in quarantine until they were confirmed to be free of infection.

Bahrain's health ministry reported 14 new cases of the virus on Monday, raising its tally to 1,895, with seven deaths so far.

More than 1,300 people have been released from quarantine centres since the start of the outbreak, the ministry said. Seven more people treated for Covid-19 have been discharged, raising the the total number of recoveries to 769.

Bahrain's cabinet on Monday announced a 30 per cent reduction in government and ministerial spending to help authorities manage the coronavirus crisis.

The government will also reschedule some construction and consulting projects in order to free funds for needs arising from the outbreak while keeping spending within the 2020 budget, a cabinet statement said.

Oman’s health ministry reported 144 new cases since Sunday, bringing the total number to 1,410.

Of the new cases, 58 are Omanis and 86 foreigners, the ministry said.

The coronavirus has killed 7 people in Oman since the beginning of the outbreak. The total number of recovered patients is 238, the ministry said.

Authorities urged the public to adhere to the measures imposed on them such as self-isolation and social distancing.

Qatar reported 567 new infects, bringing the total number of cases to 6,015. The number of deaths rose by one to nine

More than 5,400 Covid-19 patients are undergoing treatment and 555 people have recovered, the Qatari health ministry said.