Saudi Arabia, Turkey ban international travel over new coronavirus strain discovery in UK

Saudi Arabia is closing its land borders and suspending international flights for one week following the discovery of a new coronavirus strain in the United Kingdom, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reports citing an internal ministry source.

The source said that the new ban could be extended for an additional week.

All people who have arrived in Saudi Arabia from European countries, as well as other states where the new coronavirus strain has emerged, will have to self-isolate at home for two weeks. Those who have visited these countries in the past three months will need to get tested for Covid-19, according to SPA.

Meanwhile, the Turkish authorities said that flights from the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, and South Africa were being temporarily suspended.