Saudi Arabia suspends private sector work for 15 days
Saudi Arabia is suspending attendance in all private sector headquarters for 15 days except for vital industries, as part of the kingdom's efforts to contain the coronavirus, the ministry of Human Resources said.
Necessary infrastructure roles such as those in electricity, water and communications will remain open while the rest of the country activates remote working procedures.
Government jobs - except for those in health, security and the military - are already on hold or are being done from a distance. Pregnant women, workers over 55 and those with severe pre-existing conditions must be given 14 days additional leave.
Those coming into work should have their temperature taken and safe distance should be maintained among them at all times, adhering to necessary precautionary measures set by the Ministry of Health.
The government emphasised that anyone exhibiting symptoms must inform their workplace and follow precautionary isolation steps.
Measures must also be taken to ensure social distancing protocol is followed for any workers in the office or in employer-provided housing.
All health clubs and nurseries inside public-sector offices have been ordered to close.
The private sector contributed around 44% to the gross domestic product in 2018, according to report by the Council of Saudi Chamber. About 54% of the kingdom's overall workforce are employed by the private sector, according to the same report. They included 1.6 million Saudi nationals at the end of the first half in 2019 and the rest were expatriates.
In a bid to cushion the economic impact of the virus on the private sector, Saudi Arabia has unveiled a package of $13.3bn in support for the sector. The package includes easy-term loans for small and medium-scale enterprises.
Saudi Arabia has reported 171 cases of coronavirus so far, and has taken measures to limit the spread of the pathogen, including closing mosques, schools, restaurants, coffee shops and malls as well as halting international flights and announcing an extraordinary virtual G20 leaders summit next week.
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