Saudi citizens and residents of the kingdom have been banned from travelling to Iran as a safeguard against the further spread of the coronavirus, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
While Saudi citizens were already banned from travelling to Iran, the ban on expats doing so is a new measure.
Non-Saudi travellers who have been to Iran will be prevented from entering Saudi Arabia unless a 14-day period – the maximum incubation period of the coronavirus – elapses.
If an expat violates the travel ban, he or she will not be allowed to return to Saudi Arabia. Saudi nationals who violate the ban will be held legally responsible.
All passengers arriving in the kingdom are being asked to disclose to officials whether they have been in Iran prior to their arrival.
Flights suspended
Meanwhile, in neighboring Kuwait, the country’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation announced on Friday that it would suspend all flights to and from Iran following recommendations from health ministers.
Like Saudi Arabia, expats who have visited the country within a 2 week period will not be allowed to enter the country. Kuwaiti nationals who have done so will be taken to quarantine facilities. As part of the move, Kuwait Airways as suspended all flights to Iran, while the Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA) has announced a stop to all movements to and from Iranian ports.
In Oman, the Ministry of Health has announced that it will enforce home and institutional quarantines for passengers travelling from China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Iran.
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