Saudi Arabia halted international flights and closed borders for a week over fears of the rapid expansion of the new strain of the coronavirus.
The kingdom may extend the suspension one more week depending on the nature of the virus spread, according to the Saudi state news agency.
The Saudi decision comes after the UK warned that a new strain of the coronavirus “is out of control”. This forced France, Germany and others to suspend travel from Britain, while Air Arabia PJSC, based in the United Arab Emirates, said on Monday it would stop flights from Morocco to the UK until further notice.
Saudi Arabia, which has reported nearly 361,000 cases and 6,122 deaths, began lifting coronavirus blockages as of May. Officials had not imposed any new restrictions since then and so far the country has averted another wave of infections.