One thing the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us is that Saudi Aramco, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are capable of amazing things when they put their minds to it.
Eight months of vigilance and hard work have paid off. If current trends continue, the worst could be behind us.
Those are the key words: “if current trends continue.”
Across the world, we can see the news reports of a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic striking just as the flu season begins. In the U.S., the pandemic hit a record peak of 82,900 new cases in a single day on Oct. 23. Across Europe, daily new case rates are rising to their highest levels since the springtime peaks, and in countries such as Russia, Poland, Greece, and the Czech Republic, the daily rates for new cases have surpassed the springtime levels and are continuing to rise.
Globally, COVID-19 has struck 42,670,015 individuals since the outset of the pandemic, and 1,146,063 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The hardest hit nations so far are the U.S., India, and Brazil, with total deaths of 225,229, 119,014, and 156,903, respectively.
For the moment, there are no signs of a second wave in Saudi Arabia. Our falling infection rates are the result of discipline and hard work, in following the behaviors we all learned from the beginning of the outbreak: avoiding large gatherings, wearing masks, washing our hands and maintaining good hygiene, and maintaining a physical distance from each other of at least 2 meters.
The results of our good discipline are tangible and impressive.
But as some of our favorite restaurants, cafes, and night spots open up, we cannot afford to become complacent. The suffering we see in other nations — some of the richest in the world — is something we must strive to avoid.
The only way to prevent a second wave of COVID-19 here in the Kingdom is to remain vigilant against the coronavirus both at work and in our home lives; to remain resilient in maintaining the behaviors that have kept us and our families and friends safe for the past eight months; and to remind others, gently, that all of our safety depends on every one of us taking this coronavirus seriously.
Each person who works here is valuable. We are all contributing to the success of a company that produces energy that powers the global economy. We all have families who love us and depend on us, and we can share with our family members the reminder to stay safe at home and in public.
We have come so far, and achieved so much. Let’s keep up the efforts that have kept us safe, and reach our goal together.