On July 27, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that the country has threatened to impose a three-year old travel ban on citizens travelling to “Red List” nations under efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey, Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are included in the Red List.
However, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have been discussing about the ways to ease COVID-19 curbs.
The state news agency cited an unnamed interior ministry stating that the Saudi citizens, who were allowed to travel outside the country in May with no prior permission from the authorities for the first time since March 2020, had violated travel regulations.
An official added, “Anyone who is proven to be involved will be subject to legal accountability and heavy penalties upon their return, and will be banned from travel for three years.”
Furthermore, the Ministry of Interior has pointed out that the citizens were still prohibited from travelling directly or via another country to such states as well as any other state that had not controlled the pandemic yet and where the new strains of the virus had been spreading.
With new 1,379 coronavirus cases, the total tally of COVID-19 infections have increased to 520,774 alongside 8,189 fatalities in the largest Gulf state.
