Riyadh, Apr 7 (IANS): Saudi Arabia has imposed a 24-hour curfew in cities including the capital Riyadh, as part of precautionary measures against the coronavirus pandemic, state media reported.

The curfew will be imposed on the cities of Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran and Hofuf and throughout the governorates of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif and Khobar, an Interior Ministry official said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on Monday.

People will be allowed to leave their homes only for essential needs like food and health care within the neighbourhood area from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the 24-hour curfew, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as sayin.

However, those working in crucial jobs in the public and private sectors were excluded from the curfew.

Earlier in the day, the Saudi health ministry announced the registration of 82 new infected cases in the country, raising the total number to 2,605 including 551 recoveries and 28 deaths.