Saudi Arabia has announced new travel restrictions for three African countries over concerns about the spread of the Ebola virus.
According to a report in the Saudi Gazette, authorities said that a temporary ban has been imposed on travel by Saudi citizens to the Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.
Saudi authorities have also suspended the issuance of all types of visas and entry into the kingdom for people coming from these countries, as a precautionary measure to prevent the possible spread of the Ebola virus and protect public health.
According to authorities, the new restrictions will also apply to travelers who arrived in Saudi Arabia through a third country but have stayed in these three affected countries in the past 21 days before entering the kingdom.
The Saudi Public Health Authority, has said that the kingdom’s health surveillance and response system is continuously active and the situation is being closely monitored in collaboration with national and international institutions to protect the health of citizens, resident foreigners and visitors.
According to the agency, these measures are part of the usual precautionary strategy aimed at preventing the spread of diseases and ensuring public health protection.
According to health ministry, Saudi Arabia had previously implemented additional precautionary measures for travelers coming from neighboring countries in the epidemic-affected areas, including Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville).
health ministry officials clarified that the overall public health situation in the kingdom is stable and no confirmed or suspected case of the Ebola virus has been reported since 2019.
It should be remembered that the Ebola virus was discovered in the Republic of Congo in 1967. According to the World Health Organization, its case fatality rate is about 50 percent. So far, about 15,000 people have died from the epidemic.
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