A government employee in Riyadh described a four-day remote-work instruction to AFP, adding to reports of workplace changes in the Saudi capital during a period of attacks on the kingdom.
The employee said a message received on Sunday, Oct. 18, directed remote work from Oct. 19 through Oct. 22 and asked staff to continue their usual duties. Two consultants working with separate Saudi government agencies told AFP they received similar instructions. One said he learned of the arrangement after reaching his workplace and contacting the project manager representing the client.
AFP did not identify the agencies or report how many workers received the instructions. The accounts did not establish a citywide directive or give a reason for the change.
Other Riyadh workplaces have adopted remote work. Management at the 99-story Kingdom Centre told office employees to work from home until further notice, AFP reported, while the mall beneath the tower remained open. The Associated Press reported Oct. 12 that workers in Riyadh’s financial district had been told to stay home.
AFP reported the agency instructions amid repeated Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. None of the accounts it cited attributed the work arrangements to the attacks.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said attacks on King Khalid International Airport and a Saudia aircraft on Oct. 8 killed three Saudi citizens and injured others. GACA did not identify those responsible. The authority later said an Oct. 10 airport attack killed 12 people and injured 309.
The Embassy of India said an Indian national wounded in that attack later died, raising the reported toll to 13, News On AIR reported.
