Saudi Arabia records 576 new Coronavirus cases as numbers drop

Saudi Arabia recorded 576 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, raising the total to 328,720, the health ministry announced on Friday.

Of the new cases, 58 were detected in the city of Mecca, 52 in Jeddah and 47 in Hafouf.

An additional 31 fatalities were recorded, raising the death toll to 4,430, according to the health ministry.

Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries increased to 308,352 after 1,145 individuals who had previously tested positive for the virus recovered.

The Kingdom recorded its first case on March 2, after a Saudi Arabian national returned from Iran.

The government was quick to impose preventative measures such as shutting down domestic and international travel, closed businesses, and eventually imposed a 24-hour curfew on all major cities. These restrictions have since been lifted with the latest being the resumption of international travel.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) issued updated guidelines and coronavirus precautionary measures on Thursday after authorities allowed citizens and residents from certain categories to enter and exit the Kingdom for the first time since early March.