• New directives are applicable to citizens of Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Egypt, and India as well.
• All travellers will have to undergo five-day mandatory quarantine regardless of their immunisation status outside the Kingdom.
• SAPM on religious harmony Tahir Ashrafi thanks the Saudi govt and leadership for taking the step.

Saudi Arabia on Thursday announced that it will allow Pakistani travellers to directly enter the Kingdom starting December 1, 2021, without spending 14-day quarantine in a third country, Saudi Gazette reported Thursday.

Apart from Pakistan, the new guidelines will also apply to citizens of several other countries, including Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, Egypt and India from next Wednesday.

According to the report, all travelers from the above-mentioned countries will be detained for five days regardless of their state of immunization status outside the Kingdom.

The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Religious Affairs Maulana Tahir Ashrafi also confirmed the news and thanked the Saudi Interior Ministry and the Saudi leadership for taking the initiative.

He said that once the decision came into effect, thousands of Pakistanis, who were waiting to return to Saudi Arabia, would be able to leave the country.