Saudi Arabia Bans Travelers From 3 African Countries, Shares Reason

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  • Saudi Arabia's Public Health Authority announced an indefinite travel ban on three African countries following a rise in Ebola cases
  • The restriction targets travellers who spent time in the affected countries within 21 days of their planned arrival in the Kingdom
  • Four additional countries face tightened health screening measures at Saudi border points

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Saudi Arabia has imposed an indefinite ban on travellers arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, citing escalating Ebola cases across parts of Africa.

Saudi Arabia imposes an Ebola travel ban on DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan as health authorities strengthen border protection measures. Photo credit: Anadolu/GettyImages
Source: Getty Images

The Kingdom's Public Health Authority, Weqaya, announced the measure on Thursday as a precautionary step to protect public health, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The ban carries no specified end date and will remain in force until further notice.

Notably, the restriction extends beyond direct arrivals. Travellers who have spent any time in the three countries within 21 days before their intended arrival in Saudi Arabia are also barred from entering, even if they passed through another country beforehand.

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Saudi Arabia: Stricter screening for 4 countries

Saudi authorities also announced enhanced health checks for travellers coming from Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Congo-Brazzaville. Arrivals from these four nations will face mandatory health screenings and disease surveillance at border entry points. While Ebola has affected these countries as well, they have not been placed under an outright entry ban.

Weqaya confirmed that no Ebola cases have been detected within Saudi Arabia since 2019.

Ebola's history and growing global concern

Ebola was first identified in 1976 in what is now the DRC. According to the World Health Organisation, the virus kills roughly 50 per cent of those it infects and has caused approximately 15,000 deaths since its discovery.

Alarm over the latest outbreak has moved beyond African borders. On Wednesday, French health authorities reported the country's first confirmed Ebola case after a doctor who had been on a humanitarian mission in the DRC returned to France and tested positive for the virus. The patient was subsequently transferred to a specialist quarantine facility for treatment.

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Source: YEN.com.gh