Saudi Arabia Bans Travel to 13 Countries without Prior Permission

Saudi Arabia continues to ban citizens from travelling directly or indirectly to 13 countries without prior permission, the Ministry of Interior said on Sunday.

These countries are Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Somalia, Democratic Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Belarus, and India, in addition to any other country that is yet to control the pandemic, or proven that the variant strains of the virus have spread throughout it.

Moreover, the ministry affirmed that this decision was taken "in keenness of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on safety and security of the citizens willing to travel abroad."

This decision comes coincidently with the instability in a number of countries, continuation of the Coronavirus pandemic and the spread of new variant strains of the virus, according to SPA news agency.

Also, the ministry called on all citizens willing to travel to the allowable countries to take care and avoid spots of instability or witnessing the virus outbreak and to adhere to all precautionary measures, regardless of their destinations.