Saudi Arabia has suspended flights from India and 19 other nations including the UAE, the US and the UK, from Wednesday in a bid to curb a jump in Covid-19 infections. The flight ban, however, has exempted diplomats, Saudi citizens, medical practitioners and their families, the state news agency reported.
Here's the full list of countries on Saudi's temporary ban list, effective from February 3:
United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Germany, United States, Indonesia, Britain, South Africa, France, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Ireland, Italy, Brazil, Portugal, Turkey, Sweden, Switzerland and Japan.
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According to a Khaleej Times report, the temporary suspension includes whoever comes from other countries if they passed through any of the 20 countries during the 14 days preceding the request to enter the Kingdom.
The announcement comes after Saudi's health minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah warned on Sunday that new coronavirus restrictions could be imposed if citizens and residents do not comply with health restrictions.
The kingdom has recorded more than 367,800 cases and 6,370 deaths so far, the highest tally in the region. It saw daily infections fall from a peak above 4,000 in June to dip below the 100 mark in early January.
Saudi Arabia launched its coronavirus vaccination campaign on December 17 after receiving the first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.