RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will allow entry to travellers “from all countries” as long as they have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine inside the Kingdom, it said on Saturday, a day after suspending flights from seven African countries due to the Omicron variant.
The ministry said the travellers would be allowed in from next Saturday and would need to quarantine for three days. It did not mention the flight suspensions.
Saudi Arabia on Friday suspended flights to and from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Eswatini due to concerns related to the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Bahrain has banned entry to travellers from four more African states, increasing the number of banned countries on its red list to 10, due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19, the state news agency (BNA) reported on Saturday, citing a decision by the Civil Aviation Affairs.
The four additional countries are Malawi, Mozambique, Angola and Zambia. The ban excludes Bahraini citizens and those with Bahraini residency visa holders, it said. Bahrain on Friday banned entry to travellers from South Africa and five other southern African nations.
Kuwait will suspend direct flights from nine African countries from Sunday due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus discovered in South Africa, the government communication centre tweeted on Saturday, citing a cabinet decision. The countries are South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zambia and Malawi.
Oman has suspended entry to travellers from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Eswatini starting from Nov. 28 due to the spread of a new variant of COVID-19 discovered in South Africa, the country’s state news agency said in a tweet on Saturday.
Iran has banned the entry of travellers from South Africa and five neighbouring countries after the discovery of a new coronavirus variant in the region, a top Iranian epidemiology official said on Friday.
Iranians arriving from the region will be admitted after testing negative twice for COVID, Mohammad Mehdi Gouya, head of Iran’s Center for Disease Control, was quoted as saying by state broadcaster IRIB. Iran on Friday reported 86 deaths from COVID-19 as the total number of fatalities reached 129,462 in the worst-hit country in the Middle East.
