Covid-19: Saudi to permit direct entry to all those who have received one vaccine jab

Saudi Arabia has announced that it will permit direct entry from all countries for all travellers who have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine inside the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The decision will take effect from 1am on Saturday, December 4.

Travellers who have taken only one shot of the vaccine will need to undergo quarantine procedures for three days, the report added, citing an official source at the Ministry of Interior.

Previously, the kingdom had announced a temporary suspension of direct entry from some countries, with travellers required to spend 14 days outside before entering the country due to the pandemic.

The latest announcement is “based on the constant follow-up of the epidemiological situation locally and globally, and what the competent health authorities in the kingdom have submitted about the developments of the coronavirus pandemic, and the extent of stability of the epidemiological situation in a number of countries”, the report said.

The source stressed the importance of adhering to the precautionary and preventive measures and reiterated that all procedures and measures are subject to continuous evaluation.

The announcement comes after Saudi’s Ministry of Interior announced on Saturday that flights will be suspended from and to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, and Eswatini due to concerns over the Omicron variant.

Non-Saudi passengers aboard flights arriving directly and indirectly from the seven countries shall not be allowed into the kingdom except for those who have spent at least 14 days in another country, the ministry said.

Saudi citizens arriving from any of the seven African countries will need to undergo a five-day institutional quarantine regardless of their immunisation status.

Similar steps have also been taken by the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain as well as several countries worldwide.

Read: Covid-19: UAE to ban entry from seven countries over Omicron concerns