Saudi Arabia on Tuesday suspended entry to the kingdom from 20 countries, with the exception of diplomats, Saudi citizens, medical practitioners and their families, to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, Saudi Gazette reported.
The kingdom has recorded 6,379 deaths so far, the highest tally in the region.
The temporary ban, effective from Feb 3, includes non-citizens arriving from the following countries:
United Arab Emirates
Argentina
Germany
United States
Indonesia
Britain
South Africa
France
India
Pakistan
Egypt
Lebanon
Ireland
Italy
Brazil
Portugal
Turkey
Sweden
Switzerland
Japan
The ban includes whoever comes from other countries if they passed through any of the 20 countries during the 14 days preceding the request to enter the Kingdom.
According to reports, the Kingdom has seen a steady increase in the number of infections in the past few weeks.
On Tuesday it recorded its highest number of daily COVID-19 cases in more than two months, amid concerns from its health minister about people’s “complacency” toward preventive measures, the Arab News reported.
