London: To contain the spread of the virus in Saudi Arabia, a country known to have proposed stricter rules, it will impose a three-year travel ban for citizens if they visit countries on the kingdom’s ‘Red List’. If found, according to the state news agency SpA.
The news agency quoted Interior Ministry sources as saying that some Saudi nationals, who were allowed to travel abroad in May for the first time since March 2020 without prior permission from the authorities, had violated the travel rules.
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“Whoever is proven involved will be subject to legal liability and heavy penalties on their return, and a travel ban for three years,” the official said.
Saudi Arabia has already banned travel or transit to several countries, including Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.
“The Interior Ministry emphasizes that citizens are still prohibited from traveling directly to or from any other country to these states or any other country that has not yet controlled the pandemic or where new The strains have spread,” the official said.
With a population of 30 million, the Gulf nation on Tuesday recorded 1,379 new Covid-19 infections, taking its total to 520,774 cases and 8,189 deaths. Daily infections declined from a high of 4,000 in June 2020 to below the 100 mark in early January.
Meanwhile, people in Saudi Arabia must provide proof on a mobile app that they have received at least one vaccine dose to enter public and private institutions from Sunday. The vaccine mandate includes visiting schools, shops, malls, markets, restaurants, cafes, concerts and public transport. From 9 August, Saudi citizens will need two doses for travel abroad.
According to the Wall Street Journal report, this directive in the Gulf country comes after the US and other countries implemented vaccine mandates as cases continue to rise around the world.
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