Saudi: Two doses of vaccine compulsory for international travel, and much more

All citizens of Saudi Arabia will have to compulsorily complete two doses of Covid vaccines if they wish to travel abroad, from next month.

Starting from August 09, any Saudi citizen planning to travel abroad will have to be fully vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus. "The second dose of the vaccine against Covid will be a condition of all overseas travel for all citizens from August 9, 2021," the ministry wrote in a statement published by the official SPA news agency.

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As of now, single dose of any approved vaccine was enough. However, to control the spread of the virus, the government has decided to tighten travel restrictions in the country.

In addition to this, vaccines will also be mandatory for citizens if they wish to gain access to public spaces, public transport, and even private spaces.

Taking the restrictions a step further, it has also been decided that only fully vaccinated people will be allowed to return to their workspaces, be it in private or public spaces.

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The announcement came as Saudi Arabia reported 1,055 new Covid cases and 12 fatalities on Sunday, taking the toll to 509,576 and the total death toll to 8,075.

As per official data, more than 22 million doses have been administered in a country of 34 million. Out of these, 17.4 million citizens have received one dose and only 2.2 million have been administered the second dose.

Saudi Arabia is also, currently, hosting its second Covid-restricted annual Hajj pilgrimage, in which only 60,000 locals have been allowed to participate.