Saudi Arabia cautions against unnecessary travel as omicron spreads – ArabianBusiness.com

Saudi Arabia cautions against unnecessary travel as omicron spreads – ArabianBusiness.com

Saudi Arabia’s Public Health Authority has told citizens to avoid unnecessary travel outside the kingdom, especially to high-risk countries, as the omicron variant’s spread continues to escalate in several countries, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

The Public Health Authority, or Weqaya, also recommended that travelers coming from outside the kingdom, whether citizens or residents, regardless of their immunisation status, avoid social contact for at least five days, and take a PCR test in the event of respiratory symptoms or a temperature rise.

Saudi Arabia confirmed its first case of the omicron variant on December 1 in a traveller returning from a North African country. The new variant was first detected in South Africa at the end of November, and several countries have imposed travel restrictions to southern African countries.