Saudi Arabia has lifted the temporary travel ban imposed last December as a precautionary measure following the detection of a mutated type of Covid-19 in a number of countries, the Ministry of Interior said early Sunday. Entry into the Kingdom by air, land, and sea will resume at 11 a.m. Sunday, the ministry said in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Some restrictions including asking non-Saudis coming from the UK, South Africa, and other countries where the Covid-19 variant had been detected, to stay at least 14 days out of these countries before entering the Kingdom. Saudi citizens who are allowed to enter for humanitarian and essential cases, coming from countries where the new Covid-19 variant spread, are required to remain in their homes for 14 days for observation.

Cases of the new variant, which was first detected in the UK, have been reported in European countries including France, Sweden, and Spain. It has also been detected in South Africa, Jordan, Canada, and Japan. Saudi Arabia has started rolling out vaccines against COVID-19, starting with those considered high risk.

Source Credit: Arab News