A MAN with coronavirus could face the death penalty after spitting on trolleys and doors in a Saudi Arabia shopping centre, it has been reported. The unnamed suspect was arrested after workers spotted him spitting in the northern Saudi Arabian province of Hail. A source close to the prosecution said the man was being remotely interrogated by Saudi authorities to determine his motive. The motive is not clear yet, but it is being regarded as “deliberately seeking to spread the coronavirus epidemic among members of society” and causing panic among them. According to the World Health Organization, the virus is mainly transmitted via respiratory droplets such as mucus and saliva of infected persons. Saudi Arabia has some of the strictest laws in the world, and spitting in public is considered a punishable crime, but the crime becomes even more severe, especially now as the kingdom is fighting to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. The kingdom is taking every possible measure to curb the spread of the deadly contagion and has halted all international flights, restricted internal movement and in a historic decision suspended the year-round Umrah pilgrimage in Mecca.