Saudi Lifts Quarantine Mandate for Vaccinated Foreign Visitors
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17 May 2021 11:35 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced on Monday, May 16, that foreign travelers traveling by air from a number of nations no longer need to be quarantined upon arrival if they have received the Covid-19 vaccine.
The kingdom's civil aviation authority (GACA) said that starting May 20 non-Saudi visitors arriving from eligible countries who are fully vaccinated, or have had Covid-19 and recovered, will no longer have to spend seven days in quarantine as they provide official vaccination certificates upon arrival,
Visitors from 20 other countries, including the United States, India, Britain, Germany, France and the United Arab Emirates, remain banned from entering the kingdom, so as to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
For now, all travelers coming into Saudi Arabia must undergo quarantine for seven to 14 days, depending on the countries where they are coming from, and provide negative PCR tests.
Under the new policy, GACA said, anyone over the age of eight who is not vaccinated must quarantine on arrival in Saudi Arabia for seven days, at their own expense as of May 20 and provide a negative PCR test on the sixth day of their arrival
Visitors must also provide a valid health insurance policy to cover potential risks from Covid-19, as well as negative PCR test taken no later than 72 hours before boarding their flight.
Separately, the Saudi Home Affairs Ministry stated that Saudi citizens are still banned from travelling to 13 countries without prior permit form authorities, due to Covid-19 risks. The countries are: Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Belarus, and India.
Read: Indonesia Welcomes Saudi Arabia's Decision to Hold 2021 Hajj Pilgrimage
AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI