Stay safe, avoid large gatherings during Ramadan

As the blessed month of Ramadan begins, we should take a moment to appreciate what we have done so far to keep ourselves, our work colleagues, our families, and our community safe. But as COVID-19 cases have started to climb in the Kingdom, we must also continue to be vigilant to make sure that we don’t lose ground in our fight against this global pandemic. 

A year ago, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world, Aramcons swiftly changed their behaviors to avoid putting themselves and others at risk. All of us put on masks, washed and sanitized our hands, cleaned our workstations, avoided large gatherings, and maintained our social distance from others. Making all these behaviors our new habits was a major reason why we were able to contribute to the health and safety of our society, halting the rise in infections here in the Kingdom. 

We have done much, but our work is not over yet. 

Even as the Kingdom and Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare has rolled out vaccines to bring some measure of immunity against the Coronavirus, we are still far from reaching community immunity. To the contrary, we are starting to see the rate of infection increasing in recent weeks. Health officials warn that we are still at risk of another wave of infections, just at a time when it seemed we were making progress. 

So, as you celebrate Ramadan, celebrate safely. It is important to maintain the practices that have kept us safe so far. Remember the rules about gathering and take all necessary precautions to avoid such gatherings, and please continue to do the following:

• Wear a mask

• Wash your hands for at least 40 to 60 seconds and avoid shaking hands and other forms of contact

• Maintain a social distance of at least 2 meters, both indoors and outdoors

• Avoid large gatherings of more than 20 people

• If you think you have been exposed, get advice from the Ministry of Health or your medical care provider for the next steps and protect others.

This is not a drill. The lives of our loved ones and our most vulnerable family members are in our hands.