RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has temporarily barred travellers from three African countries in response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak, introducing stricter border controls to safeguard public health.
The Kingdom’s Public Health Authority (Weqaya) announced on Thursday that travellers arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Sudan will not be permitted to enter Saudi Arabia until further notice.
The restrictions also apply to individuals who have stayed in any of the three countries within the previous 21 days, even if they are travelling via a third country. Authorities said the suspension covers all categories of entry visas as part of precautionary efforts to prevent the virus from reaching the Kingdom.
In addition to the travel ban, Weqaya has introduced enhanced health screening procedures for passengers arriving from Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville). Travellers from these countries will undergo health assessments at ports of entry and will be subject to intensified disease surveillance.
Saudi health officials stressed that no Ebola cases have been recorded in the Kingdom since 2019, underscoring that the new measures are purely preventive.
Ebola, a severe viral disease first identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1976, has one of the highest fatality rates among infectious diseases, with the World Health Organization estimating an average case fatality rate of around 50 per cent. The virus has claimed approximately 15,000 lives since its discovery.
The announcement comes shortly after France confirmed its first Ebola case linked to the current outbreak. A French doctor contracted the virus while serving on a humanitarian mission in the DRC and has since been admitted to a specialist isolation facility following his return.
Saudi authorities said they will continue monitoring the evolving public health situation and adjust preventive measures in line with international health recommendations.
