Riyadh, May 23 (IANS): Saudi Arabia has banned citizens from travelling to 16 countries, including India, over the Covid-19 situation in those nations, the media reported

The General Directorate of Passports said that the list of countries comprised Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Indonesia, Vietnam, Armenia, Belarus, and Venezuela, The Express Tribune reported.

The Directorate emphasised that the validity of the passport of Saudis who intend to travel to non-Arab countries must be more than six months.

Further, the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has assured the public that there were no monkeypox cases detected in the country so far.

Abdullah Asiri, Deputy Minister of Health, has said that the Kingdom has the capability to monitor and discover any suspected monkeypox cases and also to fight against the infection if any new case emerges, The Express Tribune reported.

"Until now, cases of transmission between humans are very limited, and therefore the possibility of any outbreaks occurring from it, even in countries that have detected cases, are very low," he added.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said it expects to identify more cases of monkeypox as it expands surveillance in countries where the disease is not typically found.