Coronavirus threatens Saudi royal family,150 members infected

Not less than 150 members of the Saudi royal family have been infected with coronavirus, according to Saudi local media.

This was disclosed in a high alert sent out electronically on Tuesday to senior doctors in Saudi Arabia.

The message explained that the doctors are unaware of the number of cases they will get but that all chronic patients are to be moved out as soon as possible and only top urgent cases will be accepted.

It added that infected staff members would be treated at a less elite hospital to save room for royals.

Meanwhile, Salman, 84, has secluded himself on an island palace near Jeddah, while the crown prince has moved to a remote site on the Red Sea coast.

Doctors at the elite King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh that treat members of the royal family are already preparing 500 more beds for an expected influx of patients.

The operators of the facility said, ‘Directives are to be ready for VIPs from around the country.”

It was however reported that King Salman and Mohammed bin Salman have both gone into isolation to avoid the outbreak.

The number of Saudi princes is in the thousands and many travel frequently to Europe where it has been suggested they picked up the virus before bringing it home.

The Saudi royal family is estimated to have about 15,000 members.