JEDDAH — As of forthcoming Wednesday, the decision allowing commercial activities to function 24/7 will come into effect. In this regard, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior has made it conditional that cameras be installed so that the firm can be issued a license to function 24 hours a day. In addition, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs will coordinate with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to implement the required controls including ensuring that workers are not made to work more than the usual working hours. The fees for granting the firms a license to function 24/7 depending on the shop's area and type of activity should not exceed SR100,000. The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has exempted eight activities from the fees. They include pharmacies, wedding halls, rest houses, medical activities, education activities, fuel stations (to fill fuel only), hotels, hotel suites and resorts. The Acting Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Majed Al-Qasabi confirmed earlier that allowing commercial activities to function 24/7 will contribute to providing commodities and services to the residents around the clock and enhance the quality of life in the Saudi cities. The official account of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 has confirmed that allowing commercial activities to function 24/7 will contribute to achieving the Vision. This will be via 9 privileges, most prominent of which are lowering the unemployment rate to 7 percent, raising the ranking of the Saudi economy to the 15th rank in the world, classifying three Saudi cities among the best 100 cities in the world, and increasing the nonoil revenues to SR1 trillion annually.
