Saudi ups pressure on anti-vaxxers as it eyes economic recovery
Issued on:
24/05/2021 - 05:44 A medical worker administers a dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at a drive-through vaccination center in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on March 4, 2021 Fayez Nureldine AFP/File 4 min
Riyadh (AFP)
Saudi Arabia is tightening the screws on vaccine sceptics, barring them from pilgrimages and overseas travel and blocking access to universities, malls and offices in a contentious effort to boost inoculations.
So-called anti-vaxxers threaten to jeopardise global efforts to beat the coronavirus pandemic, health experts say, but Gulf autocracies, including Saudi Arabia, are cranking up the pressure on those refusing to get vaccinated.
On path to recovery, Saudi Arabia ups pressure on vaccine sceptics
Amid apparent supply shortages, the kingdom has delayed the second dose for many residents despite an uptick in infections
Monday 24/05/2021
People walk outside a coronavirus vaccine centre at the old Jeddah airport, Saudi Arabia. (AFP)
RIYADH Saudi Arabia is tightening the screws on vaccine sceptics, barring them from pilgrimages and overseas travel and blocking access to universities, malls and offices in a contentious effort to boost inoculations.
So-called anti-vaxxers threaten to jeopardise global efforts to beat the coronavirus pandemic, health experts say, but Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, are cranking up the pressure on those refusing to get vaccinated.
Saudi ups pressure on anti-vaxxers - Kuwait Times kuwaittimes.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kuwaittimes.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Saudi Arabia is tightening the screws on vaccine sceptics, barring them from attending pilgrimages, universities, malls, offices and from travelling overseas in a contentious effort to boost inoculations.
So-called anti-vaxxers threaten to jeopardise global efforts to beat the coronavirus pandemic, health experts say, but Gulf autocracies, including Saudi Arabia, are cranking up the pressure on those refusing to get vaccinated.
Saudi Arabia s capital Riyadh is accelerating a nationwide vaccination drive as it moves to revive tourism and host sports and entertainment extravaganzas, all pandemic-hit sectors that are a bedrock of the Vision 2030 program to diversify the oil-reliant economy.
The kingdom has allowed only vaccinated pilgrims or those who have recovered from Covid-19 within the previous six months to perform the year-round umrah pilgrimage.