Saudi Arabia imposes travel ban on 3 African countries, halts visas over Ebola concerns

Saudi Arabia has barred its citizens from travelling to three African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, and has suspended the issuance of all visas for travellers arriving from these nations as part of new measures to prevent the spread of Ebola.The restrictions, announced by the Saudi Public Health Authority (Weqaya), also apply to people arriving through third countries if they have been in any of the three affected nations within 21 days before entering the Kingdom, Saudi Gazette reports.The authority said the measures were introduced as a precaution to reduce the risk of Ebola entering Saudi Arabia amid the ongoing outbreak in parts of Africa.Weqaya said the Kingdom’s health surveillance and response system continues to operate around the clock in coordination with national and international health agencies to monitor developments and protect public health.Saudi Arabia had already stepped up health precautions for travellers arriving from neighbouring countries, including Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville). Those measures include enhanced health screening at entry points, strengthened monitoring and early response procedures.The authority said the public health situation in Saudi Arabia remains stable and confirmed that no suspected or confirmed Ebola cases have been recorded in the Kingdom since the preventive measures were introduced.Weqaya added that the restrictions are routine precautionary steps aimed at protecting citizens, residents and visitors while helping prevent the spread of infectious diseases.