Saudi Arabia extends entry ban amid threat of new COVID-19 variant

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Monday said it was extending a ban on entry to the Kingdom by air, land and sea for another week.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Ministry of Interior said the decision was a precautionary measure against the spread of the new variant of COVID-19, which had been detected in a number of countries.

Exceptional cases would be exempted from the entry ban, and non-Saudi citizens are allowed to leave the Kingdom, the statement said.