Saudi Arabia has suspended entry to the Kingdom for non-citizens, including diplomats, health practitioners, and their families, from 20 specific countries as it steps up efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic, according to Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday citing an official source at the Interior Ministry.
In the statement, the Interior Ministry notes that the following countries are on the list:
Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Germany, United States, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, Brazil, Portugal, United Kingdom, Turkey, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Lebanon, Egypt, India, and Japan.
Saudi Arabia: Shops Violating COVID-19 Protocols Face Instant Closure
The interior ministry announced the “temporary suspension” would be effective from 9:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Wednesday, this comes as part of the Kingdom’s precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“The decision will include those travelers coming from other countries if they passed through any of the 20 banned countries 14 days preceding the request to enter the Kingdom,” the source stated.
“Saudi citizens, diplomats, health practitioners and their families coming from the mentioned countries or those who transited any of those countries during the 14 days preceding their return to the Kingdom will enter the Kingdom in accordance with the precautionary measures imposed by the Ministry of Health,” the source concludes.
Covid-19 in Saudi Arabia
The restrictions come after Saudi’s health minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah warned on Sunday that new coronavirus restrictions could be imposed if citizens and residents do not comply with health restrictions.
Saudi Arabia has reported more than 368,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 6,400 deaths, the highest among Gulf Arab states.
Daily infections dipped below 100 in early January, from a peak of nearly 5,000 last June. However, new daily infections have tripled since then, with 310 cases reported by the health ministry on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia launched its coronavirus vaccination campaign on Dec 17 after receiving the first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The new action comes amid a global surge in cases of COVID-19 linked to variations in the original coronavirus, first detected in England, South Africa, and Brazil, and fears that vaccines being rolled out worldwide may be less effective against them.
