TASS, January 3. Saudi Arabia, which earlier suspended international flights over the mutation of coronavirus reported in several countries, lifts the ban on Sunday, the Saudi Press Agency reports referring to an official source from the Ministry of Interior.
Apart from suspending international flights, on December 21 the country also suspended entry through land border crossing points and seaports for a week, with a possibility to extend the ban for another week. On Monday, Saudi Arabia said it was extending this ban for another week over a new coronavirus variant.
After the borders are opened, passengers having no Saudi citizenship will have to spend at least two weeks outside the UK, South Africa and other countries where the new strain is spreading, before they arrive. The arriving passengers will also have to present the results of the coronavirus test confirming that they are not infected.
Besides, foreign passengers will have to self-isolate for a period of three to 14 days depending on the country they have arrived from, as well as have a test for coronavirus.
On December 14, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock reported that scientists had identified a new strain of coronavirus. According to him, faster spread of COVID-19 in southeast England can be explained by the emergence of this new variant. On December 19, Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed that preliminary data suggests that the mutation can be 70% more infectious, however, there is no evidence to claim that its lethality is higher as well. Alarmed by the news, some countries suspended air travel with the UK.