New strain of coronavirus: Saudi halts all international fights

Riyadh: KSA has suspended all international passengers' flights except any emergency services for a week, the Saudi Interior Ministry said on Sunday. The decision was taken on the recommendation of the Ministry of Health following the report of the new variant of the covid in various countries.

The Saudi government then decided to take the following precautionary measures.

• All international flights will be suspended for a week or could be extended for another week. Only flight services related to exceptional cases and foreign aircraft currently in Saudi Arabia will be permitted to fly.
• Entry into the country by land and naval will also be barred for a week, which may be extended for another week.
• Those who have come to Saudi Arabia from any European country or any other country where the epidemic has spread from December 8 must follow the following steps.
• To be home quarantined for two weeks from the date of entry into the kingdom.
• Covid testing should be done during the quarantine period, and to be repeated every five days.
• Those who have returned from any European country in the last three months or have passed through any countries where the epidemic has appeared should undergo Covid examination.

Following a discussion with the Ministry of Transport and the Health ministry, the travel suspension will not involve Saudi's cargo flights or supply chains where no new virus infection was reported. Home Ministry sources said the ban was taken in view of the lack of clarity about the nature of the virus and in favour of public health safety. Further decisions would be dependent on the latest developments in the Covid cases.