Saudi Arabia recently announced that it will lift the mandatory quarantine requirement for foreign visitors who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This new procedure will take effect starting May 20th, 2021.
In a statement announcing the new measures, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia said only persons who received full doses of one of the vaccines approved by the Ministry of Health will be allowed to enter Saudi Arabia. Those who qualify will not need the previous stipulated quarantine period, provided they present an official vaccination certificate before and upon their arrival.
“The GACA stressed on the air carriers the need to carry all travellers who are not Saudi citizens and the exempted travellers, immunized and unvaccinated groups the health certificates approved in the Kingdom (Coronavirus examination certificates PCR) not exceeding 72 hours from the flight time for those over 8 years or older, while non-citizen immunized persons are allowed enter,” read a statement from the Authority.
The GACA further obligated air carriers to contract with shelters and accommodation facilities approved by the Ministry of Tourism to accommodate travellers who are not Saudi citizens. This cautionary measure has been upheld to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. This also includes excluded groups who meet the conditions of institutional quarantine for a period of seven days, provided that a swab is done on the sixth day and the result is negative.
According to the latest figures by Johns Hopkins University, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recorded 433,094 COVID-19 cases and 7,162 related deaths.