Saudi Arabia lifts travel ban from 11 countries, India and Pakistan excluded. Here's the list

Saudi Arabia's travel ban will continue to remain in effect for the remaining nine countries, including India and Pakistan.

Saudi Arabia will lift the travel ban that was imposed on people arriving from 11 countries to curb the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the state news agency reported on Saturday. Citing people familiar with the development, Saudi Press Agency said that the travel ban will be lifted from 11 countries starting 1am on Monday (local time). The travellers from these countries will, however, be required to go through institutional quarantine, SPA reported.

A Saudi man checks the flight timings at the King Khalid International Airport authorities lifted the travel ban on its citizens.(Reuters / File)

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia allowed vaccinated individuals to fly abroad as it eased a ban on international travel aimed at containing coronavirus and its new variants. But the ease in travel restrictions excluded 20 countries where the ban on flights continued as a part of Covid-19 preventive measures.

Stay tuned with breaking news on HT Channel on Facebook. Join Now

The ban, which originally came into effect on February 3, applied to all non-citizens, diplomats, health practitioners and their families who have passed through any of the prohibited countries in the 14 days prior to their application to enter Saudi Arabia.

Now the kingdom has decided to lift the ban from 11 of them based on the Public Health Authority's report regarding the epidemiological situation which “showed stability and effectiveness in controlling the pandemic” in those countries, reported SPA.

Here’s the list of countries from which Saudi Arabia will lift the ban:

• The UAE
• Germany
• United States
• Ireland
• Italy
• Portugal
• Britain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• France
• Japan

The travel ban will continue to remain in effect for the remaining nine countries, including India and Pakistan.

Here’s the list of countries where Saudi Arabia’s travel ban will remain in effect:

1. India
2. Pakistan
3. Argentina
4. Indonesia
5. Portugal
6. Turkey
7. South Africa
8. Lebanon
9. Egypt

(With agency inputs)