LONDON: Saudi Arabia will impose a three-year travel ban on a citizen traveling to countries in the royal ‘red list’ in an effort to curb the spread of Coronavirus and its new variant, the state aid spa said on Tuesday.
It quoted an official ministry official who was not named said some Saudi residents, who in May were permitted to travel abroad without prior permission from the authorities for the first time since March 2020, has violated travel rules.
“Anyone who is proven to be involved will be subject to legal accountability and severe punishment after they return, and will be prohibited from traveling for three years,” the official said.
Saudi Arabia has forbidden trips to or transit in a number of 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 or through other countries to these countries or others who have not controlled a pandemic or where new strains have spread,” the official said.
The kingdom, the largest bay country with a population of around 30 million, on Tuesday recorded 1,379 new Covid-19 infections, so the total to 520,774 cases and 8,189 deaths.
It saw a daily infection falling from the peak above 4,000 in June 2020 to bottom 100 marks in early January.