Coronavirus Strikes Saudi Royals, King & Crown Prince In Isolation

9 Apr, 2020 20:46 IST|Sakshi
FilePhoto: King Salman, Riyadh governor Faisal Bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

RIYADH: The novel coronavirus has struck the Saudi Royals. Senior Saudi prince who is governor of Riyadh has been admitted to the intensive care with COVID-19 virus. It is reported that several other members of the royal family have also reported sick. In a shcoking news the doctors at the Elite hospital that treats Al-Saud clan members are preparing as many as 500 beds for an expected influx of other royals and those closest to them, according to an internal “high alert” sent out by hospital officials.

This has come in after more than six weeks after Saudi Arabia reported its first case.

As many as 150 royals in the kingdom are now believed to have contracted the virus, including members of its lesser branches, according to a person close to the family.

King Salman, 84, has secluded himself for his safety in an island palace near the city of Jeddah on the Red Sea, while Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his son and the 34-year-old de facto ruler, has retreated with many of his ministers to the remote site on the same coast where he has promised to build a futuristic city known as Neom.

Its rulers began restricting travel to Saudi Arabia and shut down pilgrimages to the Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina even before the kingdom had reported its first case, on March 2. The authorities have now cut off all air and land travel into or out of its borders and between internal provinces. They have placed all of its biggest cities under a strict 24-hour lockdown which could also extend to the entire region.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, so far has reported 41 deaths from the coronavirus and 2,795 confirmed cases. (Source NYT)

Also Read: COVID-19: US Toll Reaches 13,000 , African Americans Have Higher Rates Of Infection

whatsapp channel
Read More:
More News