JEDDAH: Schools in parts of Saudi Arabia will be closed Thursday, for the fourth straight day, to maintain the safety of students due to bad weather. The Madinah Education Authority announced that schools in the Khaybar, Hunakiyah and Wadi Faraa areas will remain closed, following early warnings issued by the meteorological body cautioning about the extreme wind levels of the dust on the area Taif University also announced all its campuses will be shut Thursday due to the bad weather conditions. In the southwest region of Bisha, education authorities announced that schools in the area will remain closed, including the University of Bisha and its campus in Tathlith. There have been no further announcements of school closures by the Makkah and Jeddah educational authorities, which had made similar announcements in the previous days. Meanwhile, Madinah Health Affairs General Directorate said they have received 1,384 emergency cases suffering from complications due to the severe dust storms. Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Defense earlier said that sandstorms had severely restricted visibility in various areas in southwestern Saudi Arabia as well as neighboring parts of the region. The authorities urged caution, particularly while driving, and stressed that residents of the affected areas should avoid lingering near scaffolding, lampposts, umbrellas, trees, billboards and construction sites. The General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection expected the sandstorms to continue from Thursday to Monday.