RIYADH – Saudi Arabia Under Complete Lockdown Over Coronavirus. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, has announced to lockdown the country. This is a precautionary measures to combat the rising epidemic of the Novel Coronavirus, Covid-19.
According to details, Umrah pilgrims and those on visit visas are to leave Saudi Arabia within 72 hours. Meanwhile, the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) has initiated measures to bring back the citizens of Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia has 45 coronavirus cases as of yet. The kingdom has temporarily suspended flight from European Union countries, Switzerland, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, and Sudan. Flight to and from Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Kenya, Djibouti and Federal Somalia are also in suspension. Saudi Arabia Under Complete Lockdown Over Coronavirus.
It has also suspended passenger traffic through all land crossings with Jordan. However, commercial and cargo traffic is still going and coming. The ban excludes health workers in the Kingdom from Philippines and India. Last week, Saudi Arabia suspended travel to nine countries for its citizens and residents. According to details, the nine countries were the UAE, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Bahrain, South Korea, Egypt, Italy and Iraq. It had also put a temporary lockdown on its eastern oil-producing province of Qatif.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia also barred citizens and residents of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from entering the kingdom for 14 days after returning from outside. The other GCC states have also diagnosed patients totalling more than 145 cases. Earlier, the kingdom also banned foreigners arriving for the Muslim umrah pilgrimage. On Monday, the kingdom reported its first case of the virus after a Saudi national returned from Iran. The health ministry is testing 70 people who came into contact with the patient.