Baku, February 3, AZERTAC

Saudi Arabia will temporarily suspend entry to the Kingdom for those coming from or transiting from 20 countries, starting at 9 pm local time on February 3, according to the country’s Ministry of Interior, as part of measures to stem the spread of COVID-19, Al Arabiya reports.

“The Ministry of Interior announced that a temporary suspension for entry to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [from 20 countries] has been enforced on non-citizens, diplomats, health practitioners and their families,” the Saudi Press Agency said in a statement.

The ban includes a list of 20 countries: Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United States of America, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Pakistan, Brazil, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Turkey, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Lebanon, Egypt, India, and Japan.

The temporary travel ban into the Kingdom will also include those travelers coming from other countries if they passed through any of the 20 banned countries 14 days preceding the implementation of the ban, the interior ministry added.

"The source added that the citizens, diplomats, health practitioners and their families coming from the aforementioned countries or those who transited any of those countries during the 14 days preceding their return to the Kingdom will enter the Kingdom in accordance with the precautionary measures imposed by the Ministry of Health," the Saudi Press Agency quoted an interior ministry source as saying.

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday reported 310 new coronavirus cases and four deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 368,639, and the death toll to 6,383, according to the Ministry of Health.

Last Friday, Saudi Arabia said it will be extending the travel ban for its citizens, and will reopen its air, land, sea on May 17, instead of March 31, as a coronavirus countermeasure.