Riyadh: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Sunday announced the extension of the travel ban to India and twelve other countries without prior permission from the concerned authorities, according to the Saudi press agency.
The Saudi ministry of interior announced the 13 countries that Saudi citizens have been advised against visiting. the countries are: Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Belarus, and India.
The move comes as the Kingdom gears up to resume the International travel after more than a year due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Saudi government said that the Kingdom is prepared for the full operation of international flights, after announcing the lifting of the travel suspension for citizens as part of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and the full opening of land, sea and air ports, starting from, May 17, 2021.
The ministry of interior also called on citizens who wish to travel to the countries to which they are permitted to travel to, to be careful and to stay away from areas where instability prevails or witnessing the spread of the virus, and to follow all precautionary measures regardless of their destination.
The Kingdom also announced on Sunday that International passengers arriving by air from most countries will no longer need to quarantine if they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 infection.
In February, the state suspended entry from 20 countries, excluding diplomats, Saudi nationals, medical staff and their families, to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.