Saudi Arabia has set Tuesday as resumption date for international flights, according to the interior ministry, six months after travel restrictions were imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The kingdom will end all restrictions on air, land and sea transport for Saudi citizens “after January 1” next year, the ministry added on Sunday, adding that an exact date will be announced in December.
Gulf citizens and non-Saudis with valid residency permits or visas will be allowed to enter the kingdom from Tuesday as long as they are not infected with the virus, the ministry said in a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency.
Saudi Arabia had suspended international flights in March, leaving many citizens and residents stranded overseas.
The ministry added that Saudi Arabia will later announce a plan to gradually allow the umrah pilgrimage.
Saudi Arabia suspended the year-round umrah in March over fears of the coronavirus pandemic spreading to Islam’s holiest cities.
The kingdom has recorded more than 325,000 cases — the highest in the Gulf — and over 4,200 deaths. But Saudi Arabia has also reported a high rate of recoveries, which surpassed 302,000 on Sunday.
