Saudi official reveals exemptions to COVID-19 shopping malls ban

Saudi official reveals exemptions to COVID-19 shopping malls ban

RIYADH: Under-18s who had not received a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine jab and those exempt for health reasons will still be allowed into Saudi commercial outlets and shopping malls when strict new rules come into force. The government announced on Sunday that unvaccinated individuals would not be given access to such establishments from Aug. 1. However, on Monday, a Ministry of Commerce spokesman said the ban would not apply to those under the age of 18 who had not been inoculated or people at risk of having adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines. Around 15.9 million anti-virus jabs have so far been administered in the Kingdom, but the Ministry of Interior has demanded that individuals entering shops and other commercial outlets must have had at least one dose or been vaccinated after recovering from COVID-19 unless they fell into age brackets or groups not obligated to take the vaccine. Eman Al-Shethry, a government employee, told Arab News: "Entering a shopping center knowing that most of the people inside are either fully or partially vaccinated will make me feel safer and more relaxed. "I feel that when the people who are skeptical of vaccinations see others roaming around freely, they would see