Wasting no time in attempting to get ahead of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus, Saudi Arabia moved forward with new rules and requirements aimed at protecting people within the Kingdom’s borders – and the Saudi economy.
Saudi Arabia, a global leader in proactive and progressive measures to counter the spread of the Coronavirus, will require booster shots for all people seeking to visit stores, malls and restaurants starting February 1st, 2022. The move is an extension of previously stated rules saying that Saudi residents would no longer be considered fully vaccinated on that date.
The Kingdom is also re-imposing mask mandates and distancing requirements it only recently removed to stop the spread of the Omicron variant. At the Grand Mosque in Mecca, workers have returned floor markings removed on October 17 to guide people to social distance in and around the holy site.
Additionally, according to the New York Times, a Commerce Ministry spokesman, Abdulrahman Al-Hussein, announced several measures intended to tighten enforcement, including doubling fines and shutting down noncompliant businesses. Establishments must also assign employees to monitor customers to make sure they are wearing masks and following other rules, he said.
Citizens, residents and visitors are required to show scannable QR codes confirming their vaccination status through the government’s Tawakkalna app.
Saudi Arabia is eying a potentially big year in 2022 economically. Riyadh-based Jadwa Investment’s forecast for Saudi Arabia in 2022 has the Kingdom’s economy growing by 7 percent year-on-year as a result of sizably higher oil sector growth and robust levels of non-oil growth. But Jadwa Investment cautioned that the strong year could depend on how the global economy recovers and if the pandemic’s adverse effects on the economy are in the rear view. The new rules in place are in part to prevent an outbreak in the Kingdom that might stall that growth.
