The government may impose a curfew if people do not abide by the precautionary measures that have been issued, the Minister of State for Media Affairs, Amjad Adaileh said on Thursday, March 19.

In a televised statement, Adaileh said that a number of citizens took to the streets nationwide without any utmost necessity.

He called on citizens to stay home and to respond to the government decisions and actions aimed at protecting them from the novel coronavirus, pointing out that some workers in the vital sectors were excepted from the measures, such as the food and drug sectors, services, and others.

On the increase in the number of new cases in the Kingdom, Adaileh explained that the increase is expected as a large number of people returned from countries where the virus is widely spread, in addition to citizens who have had direct contact with the infected.

He stressed that the high number of cases calls for more caution, noting that people should follow the instructions issued by the Ministry of Health.