Peoplemust follow the government's instructions to help prevent the spread of coronavirus,Saudi Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aly told a pressconference on Saturday.
"We're all partners, citizens and residents of this country … Allthe steps and precautions are in the interest of this country to protectourselves from the outbreak of this virus," he said.
People must limit their movements, stay home, and avoid gatheringsand activities of any kind, he added.
Al-Abd Al-Aly said anyone who has come to Saudi Arabia from abroadis advised to self-isolate.
In case of any symptoms, call 937, he added, advising the publicto avoid rumors and refer to official sources for information.
Al-Abd Al-Aly said 138 countries have been infected withcoronavirus, and those that have been late in taking action are witnessing arapid spread of the disease.
"We reached different results from Italy thanks to earlypreventive decisions," he added. "Saudi Arabia has taken very strongprecautionary and proactive measures … These measures have stopped manyactivities, whether they're for Umrah, visiting, entering through ports,suspending visas or traveling to countries."
More than 600,000 people were subject to necessary check-ups andtests at Saudi ports, he said.
Al-Abd Al-Aly added that the decision to suspend Umrah helpedprotect people and prevent the spread of coronavirus. He said he expects moresteps to be taken to enhance protection against the virus.
The Health Ministry announced through its official Twitter account17 news cases of the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in theKingdom to 103.
"We've declared the recovery of one case. The rest of the casesare currently receiving health care … and all cases are in a reassuring healthcondition," said Al-Abd Al-Aly.
"There's only one critical case in intensive care, and now thepatient is getting better and responding to treatment."
