The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Ministry of Health, has spared no effort in addressing the global pandemic since its emergence in Wuhan, China, From the very first moments following the announcement of the pandemic, the wise leadership—may God preserve them—issued a royal decree on June 1, 1441 AH, establishing a special supreme committee to take all necessary precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic, In collaboration with all relevant government agencies and bodies, the committee issued numerous instructions and recommendations that were implemented to prevent the spread of infection. The Ministry of Health worked on monitoring, planning, and coordination at the national level throughout the pandemic, It conducted epidemiological surveillance and monitored all border crossings and travel, among other operations, while operating major laboratories—such as the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control and major regional laboratories to ensure the continuity of health and preventive services for the Kingdom’s population.
Activation of E-Services
From the very first day of the pandemic, the Ministry has engaged the public through daily joint press conferences to keep them up to date on all developments, It also established the Ministry’s hotline (937) to respond to public inquiries and adopted electronic applications developed by the Ministry, such as "Mawid," "Tatman," "Sehati," and "Tabaad," in addition to the “Tawakkalna” app, to track suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19, as well as to highlight the health status of individuals and provide up-to-date, real-time information to citizens, residents, and even visitors to the Kingdom.
Crisis Management
We have witnessed numerous incidents around the world where the World Health Organization recommended curfews and restrictions on activities and movement, and perhaps the quality of organization and the effectiveness of crowd management in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—by the grace of God—played an effective role in managing that lockdown across several phases without any incidents occurring, and all praise, thanks, and blessings be to God.
Testing and Vaccinations Exceeded Expectations
All testing was conducted for suspected cases, close contacts, and confirmed cases, and all necessary treatments were provided. and as soon as the World Health Organization approved preventive vaccines for the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kingdom was among the first countries in the world to provide those vaccines free of charge to everyone residing in the Kingdom. It has announced that it has administered more than 30 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, that we will achieve herd immunity (70%), and that life will return to normal in the coming months, God willing, The Kingdom also announced that it will gradually begin accepting Umrah applications from abroad during the current month of August. May God protect our rulers and our wise leadership, which continues to move from success to success and lead the way on all fronts.
