Nationwide lockdown eased in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has begun to ease a five-day nationwide lockdown imposed during the festival of Eid.

A round-the-clock curfew has been partially relaxed except in the holy city of Mecca, which has the highest number of infections.

Anyone wishing to leave home though is required to obtain a permit through a government app.

Measures will be further eased in phases over the next few weeks until the lockdown is fully lifted. It is still unclear whether the major annual Hajj pilgrimage will go ahead at the end of July.

Saudi Arabia has had more cases of coronavirus than any other place in the Arab world, with about 75,000 confirmed infections and 400 deaths.