Entry into Saudi Arabia from the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain will be temporarily restricted to three airports as the kingdom extends its precautionary measures amid the coronavirus crisis.
First: Entry into the Kingdom by arrivals from United Arab Emirates, the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Bahrain will be temporarily restricted to airports only.#SPAGOV
— SPAENG (@Spa_Eng) March 7, 2020
Only "commercial trucks" will be allowed to cross over via its land borders.
Those traveling from the three neigbouring GCC states can fly into King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, according to a statement via Saudi Press Agency.
The Ministry of Health will take "all necessary precautions at the aforementioned airports, as well as regarding the drivers and their accompanying of those trucks in the land ports, where these measures shall be applied immediately", it said.
The ruling will be enforced from 11.55pm on Saturday March 7. Saudi is also asking anyone traveling to the country on a new or current visa to bring with them valid proof that they are free of infection from Covid-19 if they are coming from high-risk countries. The lab certificate should have been issued in the 24-hours before travel.
Saudi is working to support international efforts to halt the spread of virus.
On Wednesday, it suspended the Umrah pilgrimage for its own citizens and residents in addition to restrictions announced last week on foreign pilgrims to help stop the disease from spreading. Its first case of the virus, a national who was returning from Iran through Bahrain, was announced on Monday.
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