0n 23 March 2020, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for a worldwide ceasefire to fight Covid-19.

In Yemen, the Houthis, who had just defeated Saudi Arabia in the North of the country, immediately called on the various armed forces on the ground to respect a truce.

It was not until 8 April that Saudi Arabia announced a ceasefire starting on 9:00 a.m. GMT the following day (date of the OPEC oil price meeting).

The Kingdom is hard hit by the epidemic, which is particularly rife in the slums teeming with foreign workers, mainly from Africa and Southeast Asia, but also from the Mecca and Medina.

Above all, Saudi Arabia is a gerontocracy. At least 150 members of the royal family tested positive for Covid-19, including Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (77), who is Governor of Riyadh. He is currently in intensive care. King Salman (84), who already suffers from Alzheimer’s, and the crown prince, MBS, have been confined in two separate palaces.