RIYADH – As fears over deadly Ebola virus resurface, Saudi Arabia moved swiftly to strengthen its borders. Kingdom imposed new travel restrictions on three African nations, aiming to prevent any potential spread of the virus and safeguard public health.
Saudi authorities announced sweeping new travel restrictions on three African countries as precaution against the potential spread of the Ebola virus, underscoring the Kingdom’s heightened vigilance toward global public health threats.
According to Saudi Gazette, KSA authorities temporarily barred Saudi citizens from traveling to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan. At the same time, the Kingdom has suspended the issuance of all categories of visas for travelers arriving from these three countries, while their entry into Saudi Arabia has also been restricted.
The restrictions extend beyond direct travel. Officials confirmed that passengers attempting to enter Saudi Arabia via third countries will also be denied entry if they have stayed in any of the three affected nations within the previous 21 days.
KSA’s Public Health Authority, Weqaya, said Kingdom’s disease surveillance and emergency response systems remain fully operational and are continuously monitoring the evolving situation in coordination with national and international health agencies. The authority stressed that the measures are preventive in nature and form part of Saudi Arabia’s routine strategy to curb the cross-border spread of infectious diseases.
The latest restrictions build on earlier precautionary measures imposed on travelers from neighboring countries impacted by the outbreak, including Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and the Republic of the Congo.
Despite heightened precautions, Weqaya reassured the public that Saudi Arabia’s overall public health situation remains stable, noting that no confirmed or suspected Ebola case has been reported in the Kingdom since 2019.
Ebola is among the world’s deadliest viral diseases, with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating an average fatality rate of around 50 percent, although mortality has varied across different outbreaks. The virus has claimed nearly 15,000 lives globally.
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