The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism has pledged to intensify its field inspections to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

"The ministry is carrying out inspections to implement the decisions of the Executive Committee to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and it will intensify its efforts to cover the weekend and to widen the geographical coverage and extend the hours," Abdulaziz Al Ashraf, the Assistant Undersecretary for Inspection and Resources said.

"The ministry has benefited from the 70 volunteers who have joined the effort after they were provided with the tools to emphasize social distancing and wearing masks in stores and markets, in addition to the other decisions related to closing shops and adherence to food delivery and orders."

Work is also underway to monitor the markets to ensure that vegetables and fruits are offered at the normal flow rates and to ensure traders do not refrain from selling them or hiking prices, he added.