As many as 150 members of the ruling Saudi royal family, including Saudi Prince Faisal Bin Bandar — the governor of Riyadh — have tested positive for coronavirus.
According to a news report published in United States’ leading newspaper The New York Times, dozens of members of the ruling Saudi royal family — as many as 150 — have been infected with coronavirus in recent weeks. To prevent the deadly coronavirus, Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) have retreated into isolation.
The administration of King Faisal Specialist Hospital, an elite facility that treats royals, is preparing 500 more beds for an expected influx of patients. The officials of the hospital also issued a ‘high alert’ on Tuesday directing, "We don't know how many cases we will get in coming days. All chronic patients must be moved out ASAP, and only top urgent patients will be admitted in the hospital.”
The alert added any infected medical staffer would be treated at a less elite hospital to save room for Saudi royals.
As the outbreak in the country spreads, Salman, the 84-year-old king, secluded himself on an island palace near Jeddah, while the Crown Prince MBS has moved to a remote site on the Red Sea coast. So far, mostly members of lower branches of the royal family have been infected, a source familiar with the situation told the newspaper.
The kingdom of about 33 million people has reported 2,932 cases and 41 deaths to date. Authorities have yet to announce whether they will proceed with this year's Hajj, scheduled for the end of July.