Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Interior has warned Saudi citizens against traveling to countries that have been put on the no-travel list recently as these countries are currently witnessing a surge in cases of COVID-19 and its new variants.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday, an official source at the ministry said that traveling to the banned countries is an explicit violation of the announced instructions.

The source said that there are reports about citizens traveling to the countries where travel is prohibited in violation of the instructions issued by the official authorities, warning that such deception, if proven, warrants legal accountability and heavy penalties. He added that those who are found to have violated the instructions would be banned from traveling abroad for 3 years.

The Ministry of Interior in the statement called on citizens against traveling directly or indirectly to countries where the pandemic has not yet been controlled and there are cases of mutated strains.

It also urged citizens to exercise caution and stay away from areas where instability prevails or the virus is spreading, and take all precautionary measures regardless of their destination.