Saudi Arabia lifts COVID-19 travel curbs, permitting travel to India, Turkey, others

Saudi Arabia has lifted COVID-19 travel restrictions on its citizens, the Ministry of Interior announced on Monday.

Travel curbs were lifted on the following destinations: Turkey, Ethiopia, Vietnam, and India.

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The move comes a week after the Kingdom dropped some precautionary COVID-19 measures, including wearing face masks indoors and providing proof of vaccination in order to enter most public places.

Despite the relaxation of COVID-19 measures, the Ministry of Interior said last week that people will still be required to wear masks in the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Prophet’s Mosque in Media, places regulated by the Saudi Public Health Authority Weqaya, and places and events that impose their own mask mandates.

The vaccination timeframe for Saudi Arabian citizens who want to travel abroad has also been extended.

Travelers were previously required to have received their third COVID-19 booster dose within three months of the second, but that timeframe has now been extended to eight months.

Coronavirus restrictions in the Kingdom were loosened earlier this year in March when outdoor mask mandates, social distancing measures, PCR tests for inbound travelers, and quarantine-on-arrival rules were dropped.

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Al Arabiya English’s Marco Ferrari contributed to this report

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