Muscat: In order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) within its borders, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided to temporarily ban the travel of citizens and residents to nine countries.
"The Kingdom decided to temporarily suspend the travel of citizens and residents to Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Korea, Egypt, Italy and Iraq as well as suspend entry to those coming from those countries. It is forbidden to enter Saudi Arabia for those who were present in these countries within 14 days of reaching Saudi Arabia's border crossing points," a statement by the government said.
The statement added that Saudi Arabia had also decided to stop air and sea flights between the Kingdom and those countries and the decision excluded evacuation transport and trade trips, which would be undertaken while taking the necessary precautions.
"This is in accordance with the preventive measures recommended by the competent health authorities in the Kingdom as part of its efforts to control the coronavirus and prevent its entry and spread."