RIYADH — The overall figure of COVID-19 infections in the Kingdom rose to 178,504 on Saturday as the Saudi health ministry reported 3,927 new cases over the past 24 hours. The ministry has been sharing details on how some people became infected with the virus. On Saturday, the ministry said 21 members of a family, including elderly individuals, contracted the virus because one woman did not comply with preventative measures. The previous day, the ministry said that 16 family members contracted the virus after one Saudi national returned from another city and proceeded to phsycially greet his family. The death of his father, who had preexisting heart disease, was announced on Friday after he died due to complications. Despite the easing of restrictions, authorities have been continuosly urging people to comply with preventative measures including social distancing, wearing a face mask, avoiding physical greetings and avoiding crowds or gatherings. Thirty-seven people who had previously tested positive for the virus have died, raising the death toll to 1,511. Meanwhile, 1,657 patients recently recovered, taking the total number of recoveries to 122,128 — 68 percent of the total number of cases. The majority of the new cases were detected in the city of Hufof where 535 infections were found. Makkah reported the second most with 408 new cases over the past 24 hours. There were 399 infections in Dammam, 234 in Abha, 209 in Khamis Mushayt, 203 in Taif, 181 in Riyadh, 171 in Jeddah, 160 in Qatif, 130 in Madinah, 108 in Al-Khobar, 80 in Mahayel Asir, 79 in Hail, 77 in Buraidah, 61 in Jubail, 46 in Najran, 42 in Tabuk, 35 in Sabya, 33 each in Mobarraz and Al-Nemas, 29 each in Dhahran and Safwa, 28 in Hafr Al Batin, 27 in Al-Jafr, 23 in Al-Harjah, 22 in Bqeeq, 21 each in Al-Oyoun and Ar Ras, and 20 each in Unaizah, Samtah and Sharorah. The rest of the cases were scattered in other cities and governorates across the Kingdom, the ministry said.
