JEDDAH: The Saudi General Directorate of Passports has opened four land border crossings into the Kingdom for families as part of an easing of restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.
Officials on Monday announced that citizens, their non-Saudi families (spouses and children), plus drivers and housemaids would now be allowed through selected crossings as long as preventive measures were maintained.
Applications, including documentary proof of family connections, could be made through individual Absher accounts for Saudi border entry at Al-Khafji, Al-Rakii, the King Fahd Causeway bridge, or Al-Bathaa.
HIGHLIGHTS
Citizens, their non-Saudi families (spouses and children), plus drivers and housemaids would now be allowed through selected crossings.
Non-Saudi companions would need to have a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result showing negative for COVID-19 taken within 48 hours of travel. All individuals entering the country would also have to undergo isolation on arrival.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom recorded 42 new COVID-19-related deaths on Monday, raising to 3,691 the total number of people who have so far died from the disease in Saudi Arabia.
There were 1,175 new cases reported in the country, meaning 308,654 people had now contracted the disease.
According to the Saudi Ministry of Health, 84 of the newly recorded cases were in Makkah, 60 in Hail, and 58 in Jeddah.
In addition, 2,745 more patients had recovered from COVID-19, taking the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom to 282,888.
