Saudi Arabia Urges Citizens To Avoid Travel

Saudi Arabia Urges Citizens To Avoid Travel

Saudi Arabia called on its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. (Photo: SPA)

Saudi Arabia called on its citizens to avoid non-essential travel, especially to high-risk countries, due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

The Saudi public health authority, Weqaya, said on Saturday that the world was witnessing a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases with the accelerated spread of the Omicron mutant in many countries.

Weqaya also recommended travelers from outside the Kingdom, whether citizens or residents, regardless of their immunization status, to avoid social contact for five days and undergo a PCR test if they had any respiratory symptoms.

The authority stressed the need to implement preventive measures, such as wearing a face mask all the time, avoiding crowded and public places, and refraining from shaking hands. It also pointed to the importance of having the two vaccine doses and taking the booster dose.

The Ministry of the Interior explained that based on the recommendation of the competent health authorities in the Kingdom, a decision was taken to suspend inbound and outbound flights from/to Malawi, Zambia, Madagascar, Angola, Seychelles, Mauritius and Comoros.

The Ministry of Interior stressed that people arriving at the Kingdom from