Corona spreads in US embassy in Riyadh

WASHINGTON, July 2 (YPA) – The American newspaper “New York Times” said on Thursday that there are concerns about the safety of American diplomats in Saudi Arabia after the outbreak of Corona virus in the compound of the US embassy in Riyadh.

The newspaper revealed that dozens of the embassy staff were infected with the virus last month, and more than 20 others were subjected to health isolation.

The infection spread during a barbecue party on a birthday, the newspaper added, indicating to the death of a Sudanese driver working for senior diplomats at the embassy.

The newspaper referred that officials in the American embassy, whom it did not name, conveyed the situation to the Congress outside the official channels, demanding the evacuation of most of the embassy employees and their families, similar to what happened with missions in the Middle East months ago.

“We do not believe that the leadership of the State Department or the American ambassador to the kingdom is taking the situation seriously enough,” the officials were quoted by the newspapers as saying.

YPA