RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has extended a 24-hour curfew to several cities including the capital Riyadh as it seeks to contain the spread of coronavirus.  A statement on the Saudi Press Agency on Monday quoted an official source at the Ministry of Interior stating that this comes as part of the Kingdom’s efforts to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. It said the decision has been made in implementation of the recommendations of the health authorities concerned with raising the degree of precautionary and preventive measures.  The 24-hour curfew will be applied for the first time in the cities of Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran and Al-Hofuf.  The governorates of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif and al-Khobar will entirely be under lockdown around the clock.  The statement pointed to the continued prevention of entry to, or exit from, these cities, starting from the date of the announcement until further notice. The entry and exit ban does not include the exempted categories of those working in vital public and private sectors, it further added.  Residents of these areas will only be allowed to leave their homes to fulfill essential needs, such as healthcare and purchasing food, within the premises of their residential areas, from 6am to 3pm daily.