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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.
“One of the main reasons is gatherings and complacency with precautionary measures,” said Saudi Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah on Sunday.
There were 310 new cases reported, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the Kingdom to 368,639.
The last time the country’s COVID-19 cases exceeded 300 was on Nov. 27, 2020.
The kingdom has recorded 6,383 deaths so far. It’s the highest tally in the region, Khaleej Times reported.
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