Saudi government employees to return to work from August 30

The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has announced that government employees will return to work from August 30. The decision was based on the health reports of the kingdom's cities and governorates, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying on Saturday.

It added that employees must follow anti-coronavirus precautions during working hours. The decision excludes high-risk employees, and no more than 25 per cent of staff in each department will be allowed to work remotely.

Saudi Arabia ordered the closure of work places in most government and private sectors during the early spread of the virus.

Earlier in the day, Saudi Health Ministry announced 184 new Covid-19 cases, raising the total number to 306,370.

The recoveries rose to 78,441 with 1,374 new recovered cases, while the death toll reached 3,619 after 39 fatalities were added in the past 24 hours.