Saudi Arabia to allow vaccinated citizens to travel abroad from May 17

Saudi Arabia has decided to open its air, sea and land borders from May 17. So Saudi citizens who have been immunised against COVID-19 will be permitted to travel abroad, said the interior ministry on Sunday. After remaining shut for more than a year, Saudis were banned from travelling abroad.

But now, the ministry has decided to lift the ban and allow citizens to go abroad. The ministry has made three categories of people who would be considered immunised
1) People who have received two doses of the vaccine
2) People who have administered a single dose at least 14 days prior to travel
3) People who have recovered from the infection within the last six months
Those under the age of 18 are not not receiving vaccines but they would also be allowed to travel from May 17, on the basis of if they carry an insurance policy approved by the central bank, said the ministry.

The ministry said "The decision to lift the suspension on citizens travelling outside Saudi Arabia will go into effect at 1:00 am on May 17."

Since the pandemic, the government had barred citizens from travelling abroad. The health ministry said that it has administered around nine million COVID-19 vaccine doses, in a country with a population of over 34 million.

Till date, Saudi has reported nearly 419,000 virus cases and around 7000 deaths.