Saudi advises against ‘unnecessary’ overseas travel over omicron concerns

Saudi Arabia’s Public Health Authority (Weqaya) has advised citizens and residents to avoid “unnecessary travel” outside the kingdom, as Covid-19 cases continue to rise worldwide.

Weqaya urged travellers to specifically avoid “high-risk countries” where the omicron variant of Covid-19 has spread rapidly.

It also recommended that all travellers coming from outside the kingdom, including citizens or residents, avoid social contact for at least five days regardless of their immunisation status. It also urged them to take a PCR test if they witness any respiratory illness symptoms or fever.

All those coming into the kingdom were also urged to adhere to preventive measures including wearing a mask all the time, avoiding crowded and public places, constantly sterilising hands, and avoiding shaking hands.

It said all those eligible for a booster dose must take the shot immediately.

Omicron, the new variant first detected by South Africa, continues to spread globally with massive spikes in Covid-19 cases reported in the UK, US as well as parts of Europe and Australia.

Saudi Arabia reported 116 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of cases detected in the kingdom to 550,738.

It also recorded one additional death due to the virus as well as 96 recoveries during the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said.

In total, the death toll has reached 8,861 while 539,981 people have recovered from the virus.

#الصحة تعلن عن تسجيل (116) حالة إصابة جديدة بفيروس كورونا (كوفيد-19)، وتسجيل (1) حالة وفاة رحمه الله، وتسجيل (96) حالة تعافي ليصبح إجمالي عدد الحالات المتعافية (539,981) حالة ولله الحمد. pic.twitter.com/wbSxFq9AWE

— وزارة الصحة السعودية (@SaudiMOH) December 18, 2021