JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has barred its citizens and residents from traveling to China amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The Kingdom’s General Directorate of Passports warned on its official website that anyone who violates the order will not be allowed to return to Saudi Arabia.
It said regulatory provisions on travel documents will be applied to citizens who violate the travel ban.
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The Kingdom’s national carrier Saudia has already joined other major airlines in suspending flights to China.
Read more: “Coronavirus: What the Middle East can do to stay safe”
Saudi authorities brought students back home from the virus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan earlier this week. All of them were free from any infection.
About 800 Saudis, mainly women and children, had flown home from other parts of China, Turki Al-Madi, the Kingdom’s ambassador in Beijing, told Arab News.
The Saudi Health Ministry reaffirmed this week that the Kingdom remains free of coronavirus, and the authorities are taking all measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
