New COVID-19 strain: Saudi Arabia extends ban on international flights by another week

Saudi Arabia has confirmed the ban on all international flights will continue for another week but has said that airlines will be allowed to fly out non-Saudi nationals. Saudi's civil aviation agency said the ban that had been imposed on international travel due to the new strain of COVID-19 virus discovered in the United Kingdom, will continue for seven more days. Saudi Arabia had banned all international flights as well as entry in the Kingdom through seaports for a week on December 21. 

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The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), Saudi Arabia's national aviation body, said on Sunday that the ban on international flights and entering the Kingdom through land and seaports has been extended by another week. The body also allowed airlines to operate and carry non-Saudi nationals out of the Kingdom starting from Sunday. The repatriation of non-Saudi nationals will be carried out with full compliance with controls and precautionary measures, said the agency in a statement. 

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Saudi Arabia had imposed a ban on all international flights after the discovery of the new strain of the COVID-19 virus in the UK. Several countries had gone for a more holistic approach as they only banned flights to and from the United Kingdom and also from a few other nations where the new variant of the virus had been found, including South Africa and Nigeria. 

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New COVID-19 strain

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the discovery of the new strain of the virus on December 2 and also imposed a stricter Tier-4 lockdown in some parts of south-east England, where the new variant was frequently being detected. Scientists warned that the new strain spreads faster and are currently conducting studies to find out more about the variant. It remains unclear, how the new strain affects COVID-19 vaccines and treatment but drug manufacturers have assured that the virus has not evolved enough to beat the vaccines yet. 

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