RIYADH: Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday a series of fines to be enforced against individuals and businesses which do not comply with COVID-19 regulations. The fines vary between SR10,000 ($2,666) and SR50,000 for individuals, while businesses will have to pay between SR10,000 and SR100,000, state news agency SPA reported. The Ministry of Interior said the fines are in addition to what was imposed last year to limit gatherings that contributed to the spread of the disease. The full list of fines:  Gatherings The individual responsible for the gathering and the owner of the facility will be fined as follows: 1. SR10,000 for family gatherings inside homes, rest houses, farms, etc. exceeding the maximum numbers specified in a single or specific space, and do not come from a single household. 2. SR15,000 for non-family gatherings inside homes, rest houses, farms, camps, chalets, or open areas for people of one neighborhood, and exceeding the maximum capacity permitted in one space. 3. SR40,000 for social gatherings, including funerals, parties and the like, exceeding the numbers specified. 4. SR50,000 for any gathering of workers in homes, buildings under construction, rest houses, farms, and so on, other than their homes, consisting of five or more people in one space, and not belonging to one household. Businesses Violations of private sector companies for not adhering to precautionary measures or protocols include inviting people and organizing gatherings, failure to verify the health status of individuals through the relevant apps, permitting confirmed coronavirus cases to enter premises, not carrying out required checks for workers, allowing individuals not wearing a face mask to enter buildings, not providing disinfectants and sterilizers in designated places, measuring temperatures of employees and customers at entrances to malls and commercial centers, disinfecting trolleys and shopping baskets after each use, disinfecting facilities and surfaces, and closing children’s play areas and fitting rooms. 1. The business will be forced to close for five days and fined depending on its size and the number of employees. - Very small businesses with one to five employees will be fined SR10,000. - Small businesses with six to 49 employees will be fined SR20,000. - Medium-sized businesses with 50 to 249 employees will be fined SR50,000. - Large businesses with more than 250 employees will be fined SR100,000. 2. The fine will be doubled for repeat offenders to SR200,000, and the business will be forced to close for a maximum of six months. 3. The business owner will also be fined, depending on the size, and the penalty will be doubled for repeat offenders to up to SR100,000. 4. Recidivist business owners will be prosecuted and could face imprisonment. 5. Restaurants, cafes, and the like, are excluded from the aforementioned closing periods, and face 24 hour closure for first offense, 48 hours for the second, a week for the third, two weeks for the fourth, and a month if they have repeated violations five times or more. Individuals: 1. SR1,000 for anyone who violates the regulations and will be doubled for repeat offenders and can reach up to SR100,000) 2. SR1,000 for anyone who tries to perform prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah or the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah without obtaining a permit. 3. SR5,000 for anyone who attends one of the aforementioned gatherings. The fine will be doubled for repeat violators with a maximum of SR100,000, and could face prosecution and imprisonment. 4. SR10,000 for organizing any gatherings, with a maximum fine of SR100,000 and imprisonment. The ministry called on everyone to adhere to the approved health safety instructions and requirements in all places. ($1 = SR3.7502) (With Reuters)