Saudi Arabia and Oman have halted international flights and closed their borders for a week for fear of the rapidly spreading new strain of the coronavirus.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency said the kingdom could extend the suspension for another week, depending on the nature of the spread of the virus. Oman has shut down passenger traffic through its air, land and sea ports for a week starting Tuesday, but freight services are exempt from the ban.
The UK has warned that the new virus strain is “out of control”, prompting countries like France and Germany to suspend travel from Britain. UAE-based Air Arabia PJSC said on Monday that it will halt flights from Morocco to the UK until further notice.
Saudi Arabia, which has reported about 361,000 cases and 6,122 deaths, has started lifting the coronavirus blockade as of May. Officials had not imposed any new restrictions since then, and the country has so far prevented another wave of infections.
– With the help of Abbas Al Lawati
(Adds details about Oman suspension in mainline and second paragraph)