Daijiworld Media Network - Riyadh

Riyadh, Jun 26: Saudi Arabia has imposed fresh travel restrictions on three African countries as part of preventive measures to stop the possible spread of Ebola into the Kingdom.

The Saudi Public Health Authority (Weqaya) announced that Saudi citizens are temporarily barred from travelling to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan. In addition, the Kingdom has suspended the issuance of all visas for travellers arriving from these three countries.

The restrictions also extend to passengers travelling through third countries if they have visited any of the affected nations within 21 days before their planned arrival in Saudi Arabia, according to a report by the Saudi Gazette.

Weqaya said the measures have been introduced as a precautionary response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa and are aimed at minimising the risk of the virus entering the Kingdom.

The authority stated that Saudi Arabia's health surveillance and emergency response systems remain on high alert and continue to operate in coordination with national and international health agencies to closely monitor the evolving situation.

Even before the latest restrictions, Saudi Arabia had strengthened health protocols for travellers arriving from neighbouring countries, including Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville). These precautions include enhanced health screening at ports of entry, intensified monitoring and strengthened early response mechanisms.

Weqaya emphasised that the public health situation within Saudi Arabia remains stable and confirmed that no suspected or confirmed Ebola cases have been detected in the Kingdom since the enhanced preventive measures were introduced.

The authority added that the latest travel and visa restrictions are routine public health precautions designed to safeguard citizens, residents and visitors while reducing the risk of infectious diseases crossing international borders.