Saudi Arabia drops COVID-19 measures including indoor masks and vaccine requirement

Saudi Arabia drops COVID-19 measures including indoor masks and vaccine requirement
June 13, 2022, 5:09 pm

Saudi Arabia's Health Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah waiting to receive the coronavirus vaccine. (File photo: AFP)

On Monday (June 13), Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior announced that the kingdom has dropped more COVID-19 measures, including indoor mask and proof of vaccination requirements for most places.

However, people will still be required to wear masks in the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, places regulated by the Saudi Public Health Authority (Weqaya), and places and events that impose their own mask mandates, the Alarabiya English reported.

According to the official Saudi Press Agency, proof of vaccination in the Tawakkalna contact-tracing application is no longer needed to enter various facilities, participate in activities, attend events, or board planes or public transportation, with some exceptions. SPA did not elaborate on which categories were exempt.

The kingdom has dropped more COVID-19 measures, including indoor mask and proof of vaccination requirements for most places - Pic: Shutterstock

Also, the vaccination timeframe for Saudi Arabian citizens who want to travel abroad has been extended.

Travelers previously had to have received their third COVID-19 booster shot within three months of the second, but that timeframe has now been extended to eight months.

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COVID-19 restrictions in the Kingdom were loosened in March when outdoor mask mandates were dropped.

Social distancing measures, PCR tests for inbound travelers, and quarantine-on-arrival rules were also dropped in March.

The latest updates to COVID-19 measures come as the world and the Kingdom see a spike in case numbers.

Daily new COVID-19 cases breached the 1,000 mark on Wednesday for the first time since February, reaching 1,029.

According to the Ministry of Health, a total of 1,118 new cases and two virus-related deaths were recorded on Monday (June 13).

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The Kingdom has now recorded a total of 9,170 COVID-19-related deaths and 777,795 infections since the beginning of the pandemic.

According to Reuters data, it has rolled out a wide-reaching vaccination program, with enough doses to inoculate 96.1 percent of the population having been administered.

Case numbers in the neighboring United Arab Emirates have also spiked in recent weeks.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior on Monday stressed the importance of continuing efforts to combat the virus, including receiving booster doses of approved vaccines.

Source: alarabiyaenglish

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