Saudi shopping malls open only to COVID-19 vaccinated people from August

Saudi shopping malls open only to COVID-19 vaccinated people from August

Saudi Arabia will bar people from entering its shopping malls unless they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, state TV reported on Sunday, citing a decision by the trade ministry that will come into effect on August 1.

"Having received at least one vaccine shot will be a condition for entering commercial facilities,“ the ministry said.

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Saudi Arabia has administered 15.7 million vaccine doses so far, enough to have inoculated 23 percent of the population, according to the Reuters COVID-19 tracker.

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On Sunday, the Kingdom's health ministry reported 1,017 new coronavirus infections, 1,133 recoveries and 19 deaths over 24 hours.

Saudi Arabia will limit this year's Hajj pilgrimage to 60,000 residents and nationals living in the Kingdom due to the ongoing pandemic, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced in a statement Saturday.

On May 30, a Saudi official said that more than 13.9 million coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered in 587 inoculation centers across the Kingdom.

At least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was given to 40 percent of the Kingdom's population since the start of the vaccination campaign, the Assistant Undersecretary of