Police in Madinah arrest 27 people for flouting quarantine rules 62 Jeddah outlets shut over coronavirus violations RIYADH: Saudi Arabia recorded eight new COVID-19 related deaths on Wednesday, raising the total number of fatalities to 8,439. The Ministry of Health confirmed 546 new cases reported in the Kingdom in the previous 24 hours, meaning 540,244 people have now contracted the disease. Of the total number of cases, 6,246 remain active and 1,273 in critical condition. According to the ministry, the highest number of cases were recorded in the capital Riyadh with 159, followed by Makkah with 88, the Eastern Province with 56, Jazan recorded 46, and Qassim confirmed 41 cases. The health ministry also announced that 794 patients had recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 525,559. Over 32.6 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the Kingdom to date through 587 centers. The ministry renewed its call on the public to register with the Sehhaty app to receive the vaccine, and adhere to the measures and abide by instructions. Meanwhile, some 45 people were arrested in the Northern Borders for violating preventive measures that stipulate no more than 20 people can gather at one point. Legal measures have been taken against them and penalties were applied against the host, the person in charge of the facility, and everyone who attended the gathering. Police in Madinah said they arrested 27 people for flouting quarantine rules after they tested positive for COVID-19. Penalties for individuals who violate quarantine instructions include a fine of up to SR200,000 ($53,332) and/or up to two years imprisonment, and penalties are doubled for repeat offenders. If the violation was committed by an expat, they face deportation from the Kingdom and are permanently banned from reentry. The Jeddah Municipality closed 62 commercial establishments and issued fines to 66 others for violating preventive measures, during 3,832 monitoring rounds carried out on Wednesday. The Eastern Province Municipality carried out 1,455 inspection tours of commercial centers and facilities on Wednesday and registered 95 violations, while the Najran Municipality carried out 106 inspection tours in the past two days, identifying 34 violations, and issuing 11 warnings. Officials have urged the public to report any suspected health breaches by phoning the 940 call center number or using the Balady app. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs reopened three mosques in two regions after temporarily evacuating and sterilizing them after some people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of mosques closed and reopened after being sterilized to 2,010 within 193 days. The coronavirus pandemic has affected over 209 million people globally and the death toll has reached around 4.39 million.