The New York Times reported that a report by the US embassy in Riyadh painted a bleak picture of the situation in Saudi Arabia due to the widespread spread of the Corona virus.
The newspaper said that the report, which was circulated late last month in narrow circles in Riyadh and Washington, likened the epidemiological situation in Saudi Arabia to the one that prevailed in New York City last March.
The report added that despite the overcrowded hospitals and the spread of the disease among medical workers, the response of the Saudi government was not sufficient.
The New York Times said that parties in the US embassy passed the information to Congress outside the official channels, considering that Ambassador John Abi Zaid and the State Department are not taking the matter seriously.
She explained that a Sudanese driver working at the embassy died of the pandemic, and dozens of employees were injured, and twenty of them were quarantined last month.
The newspaper pointed out that pressure from the Democratic and Republican parties in Congress prompted the State Department to voluntarily evacuate its non-essential employees and families.
It quoted informed sources that there are demands to evacuate most of the diplomats, estimated at 500.