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New Covid variant: Saudi Arabia ends entry ban, to reopen borders today with some virus restrictions

Riyadh - Land, sea and air travel will resume from 11am.

Saudi Arabia said that entry to the kingdom by sea land and air will be resumed starting Sunday after a ban that lasted two weeks amid fears of a new coronavirus variant, the state news agency Spa reported on Sunday.

A ministry of interior official said that some restrictions including asking people coming from countries where the new variant spread such as the UK, South Africa and any others, to stay at least 14 days out of these countries before entering the kingdom.

The statement read:

The Saudi Arabia government has decided to lift the precautionary measures related to the spread of a new variant of coronavirus (Covid-19) in a number of countries, regarding the suspension of all international flights for travellers, entry to the Kingdom through its land and sea ports, which have been applied for a week from December 20, 2020 and extended for another week to be ended January 3, 2021 at 11:00am.

- Entry into the Kingdom for non-citizens coming from the United Kingdom and South Africa, as well as from any other country being specified by the Ministry of Health, in which the new variant of the novel coronavirus (B. 1, 1, 7) is spread, shall be provided that whoever wishes to enter shall spend a period of no less than (14) days outside the country in which the new coronavirus variant (B. 1, 1, 7) is spread before entering the Kingdom, with a (PCR) examination after the expiration of this period, proving that he/she is Covid-19 infection-free.

- Citizens who are allowed to enter into the Kingdom for humanitarian and urgent cases coming from countries where the new coronavirus variant (B. 1, 1, 7) is spread, shall be quarantined, pursuant to paragraph (1 ) above, in their homes under observance for a period of (14) days, with two (PCR) examinations of the first shall be carried out after arrival within no more than (48) hours and the second before ending the quarantine on the 13th day.

- As for the countries in which cases of the strain (B. 1, 1, 7) were registered, those coming from them shall be quarantined in their homes under observance for a period of (7) days, with PCR examination, before the end of the quarantine period on the sixth day.

Concerning the rest of other countries, the procedures currently followed shall be applied: 7-day mandatory home quarantine as a maximum or 3 days at least, with a mandatory laboratory examination using the (PCR) technology.