Saudi Arabia suspends arrivals from 20 countries

Measure, introduced after guidance from health authorities, comes into force on Wednesday evening

A nurse administers a Covid-19 vaccine at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Riyadh. AFP

A nurse checks the temperature of a man before administering a dose of Covid-19 vaccine at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre in the Saudi Arabian capital. AFP

A nurse prepares a dose of Covid-19 vaccine at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Saudi Arabia's capital city of Riyadh. AFP

People register for vaccination at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre, before receiving a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. AFP

Saudis are greeted by a health worker as they enter the coronavirus vaccination centre at the Jeddah old airport in Saudi Arabia. AP Photo

People gather outside the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre before receiving a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Riyadh. AFP

People leave the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre after receiving a dose of vaccine against Covid-19, in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. AFP

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced it was suspending entry to the kingdom from 20 countries, with the exception of diplomats, Saudi citizens, medical practitioners and their families, to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The temporary ban, effective from the evening of February 3, includes people arriving from the UAE.

The Ministry of Interior said the suspension of flights was “in accordance with the precautionary measures recommended by health authorities”.

The countries are Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UAE, UK and the US.

Saudi Arabia reported 310 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday and four more deaths.

There are 2,146 active cases in the kingdom, of which 375 are said to be critical cases.

A total of 368,639 coronavirus infections have been identified in Saudi Arabia, with 6,383 deaths.

The kingdom’s Health Minister, Dr Tawfiq Al Rabiah, warned last month that cases were rising again and that a “second wave” might be bigger than the first.

Dr Al Rabiah urged citizens and residents to adhere to the preventive measures put in place by the authorities and said stricter measures might have to be brought in if people refused to follow the rules.

Vaccination stations have been set up throughout the kingdom and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is already in use.

The ministry approved the AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines on January 20 and India’s Serum Institute said on January 26 that it would supply Saudi Arabia with 3 million AstraZeneca doses this month.

The ministry said this week that it hoped to have enough vaccines to cover 70 per cent of the population by the end of 2021.