JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has issued health precautions to allow the gradual return of workers a week after the lifting of the nationwide pandemic lockdown. As part of steps to return to work life, the Ministry of Health shared warnings and instructions to ensure a healthy return to office life. Preventive guidelines for office and administrative business personnel include a requirement that employees in the high-risk category work remotely from home. Protocols include the use of separate entry and exit gates for employees, and the wearing of face masks in office public areas. Companies and workers are required to clean and disinfect all essential areas and equipment, while the use of paper or personal cups for drinks is recommended. Personal items, such as pens, paper and stationery, should not be shared. Workers are also required to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 40 seconds or disinfect with an alcohol-based sanitizer for 20 seconds repeatedly during the day. The ministry recommends that office space be organized to ensure safe physical distance between employees and suggests using partitions where possible.HIGHLIGHTS • Companies and workers are required to clean and disinfect all essential areas and equipment, while the use of paper or personal cups for drinks is recommended. • Personal items, such as pens, paper and stationery, should not be shared. • Workers are also required to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 40 seconds or disinfect with alcoholic sterilizer for 20 seconds repeatedly during the day. Technology should be utilized for meetings, and if physical attendance is needed, social distancing between people of 1.5 m to 2 m should be maintained. Companies have been asked to place signs at entrances and in public areas outlining preventive protocols for employees. Meanwhile, the ministry announced that 3,927 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the Kingdom on Saturday, taking the total number of people in Saudi Arabia who have contracted the disease to 178,504. There are currently 54,865 active cases, with 2,283 in critical condition. A total of 1,656 new recovered cases takes the number of recoveries to 122,128, while 37 new deaths have been reported, raising the death toll to 1,511. A total of 44,275 polymerase chain reaction tests were carried out in the past 24 hours, raising the number of tests conducted so far to 1,562,504.