Covid-19: Saudi Arabia announces 3-year travel ban for citizens flying to red-list countries

Riyadh - Violators will be held legally accountable and heavy penalties will be imposed upon their return, said the official.

Saudi Arabia has announced that citizens who travel to red-list countries amid the Covid-19 pandemic risk being slapped with a three-year international travel ban.

An official source in the the Kingdom's Ministry of Interior stated that, in light of the ongoing pandemic, any citizen who travels to countries on its red list will be in clear violation of the law.

The source explained that the ministry had received information about citizens travelling to prohibited countries in explicit violation of precautionary measures previously imposed by authorities.

Violators will be held legally accountable and heavy penalties will be imposed upon their return, said the official, adding that offenders would not be allowed to travel outside the Kingdom for a period of three years.

The Ministry of Interior reiterated to its citizens that the travel ban to red-list countries applies regardless of whether the passage is direct or undertaken via another country.

It is also prohibited to travel to countries dealing with the spread of mutated strains of the virus.

The authority called upon citizens to exercise caution and stay away from areas where Covid-19 cases are on the rise — and to take all precautionary measures regardless of their destination.

• Saudi Arabia