Saudi Arabia said it will travel ban on travellers from six countries including India and Pakistan which was introduced as part of Covid-19 restrictions.

Fully vaccinated expats from Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Vietnam, Egypt, and India have been allowed to enter the country but will be subjected to spending 5 days in quarantine upon arrival.

The directives issued by the country’s Ministry of Interior allow direct entry of fully vaccinated travellers from these countries without having to undergo the mandatory 14-day transit outside these countries before entering the Kingdom, according to Arab News. The changes will come into effect from December 1.

The report further said the travellers from these countries need to spend at least 5 days in isolation upon entry regardless of their vaccination status.

The Ministry said that all procedures and measures will be constantly evaluated by the country’s health agencies. Expats who wish to return to the Kingdom will be subject to all health conditions to ensure they are Covid negative before entering, it added.

Last February, Kingdom banned travellers from Lebanon, UAE, Egypt, Turkey, the US, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, Pakistan, South Africa, India, Indonesia and Japan earlier to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. However, diplomatic and medical staff and their families were exempt from the ban.

The restrictions also applied to those who transited through any of the 20 counties covered under the ban 14 days prior to their entry to the Middle East nation.  

Saudi Arabia opened inbound international travellers on January 3, 2021.