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