Saudi Arabia ends Covid protective measures

Saudi Arabia on Monday announced of lifting the measures that had been taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the state news agency (SPA) reported citing an official in the interior ministry.

The measures lifted include the requirement to wear face masks in closed places, with the exception of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.

However, people will still require wearing masks in the Grand Mosque area in Mecca, and the places and events that impose mask mandates.

Proof of vaccination is no longer needed to enter, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. However, SPA did not elaborate on which categories were exempt. Also, the vaccination timeframe for Saudi Arabian citizens who want to travel abroad has been extended.

Travellers previously had to receive their Covid-19 booster shot within three months of the second, but that timeframe has now been extended to eight months. Covid-19 restrictions were loosened in March dropping the mandates of wearing mask.

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

It has rolled out a wide vaccination program, with enough doses to inoculate 96.1 per cent of the population, according to Reuters’ data.