BY MOLLY RUSSELL
Monday May 23, 2022
In response to gradually increasing COVID-19 cases, Saudi
Arabia has banned citizens from traveling to 16 countries across Asia, Africa,
and South America.
Additional
information
As reported by The Gulf News, the countries named on the
list are India, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia,
Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Indonesia, Vietnam,
Armenia, Belarus, and Venezuela.
On Saturday, the Saudi Ministry of Health announced 414 new
infections of COVID, with the weekly figures seeing a five-fold increase
compared to those seen through March and April. Around 81 cases were critical,
with covid-related death reported.
The inclusion of fifteen countries on the list seems a
confusing decision, with only DRC having reported an increase in COVID cases.
Saudi’s General Directorate of Passports has also noted that
citizens intending to travel outside the kingdom must have received three doses
of the COVID-19 vaccine, with children between 12 and 16 only requiring two.
Exemptions remain in place for those that have received a vaccine waiver based
on medical grounds.
No announcement has been made regarding how long the
measures will be enforced, and it appears no new restrictions have been
implemented for incoming passengers.
Word from officials
Concerns have been raised in the country regarding reports
of monkeypox worldwide; though it has not played a part in the recent flight
bans. The health ministry has addressed the virus, assuring that infections
have not been detected within the country.
“There is a standard definition of suspected cases and how
to confirm them, and monitoring and diagnosis methods are available in the
Kingdom’s laboratories,” noted Dr. Abdullah Asiri, Deputy Minister of
Preventative Health.
According to World Health Organization data, around 80 cases
of monkeypox have been confirmed across 11 countries.