Saudi Arabia to Fine People Who Do not Declare Correct Health Details on Entry

  • 3/9/2020
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Saudi Arabia announced on Monday it will impose a fine of up to 500,000 riyals ($133,000) on people who do not accurately declare their health details at entry points into the Kingdom, reported state television. The Kingdom has confirmed 15 cases of the new coronavirus, the majority of which are linked to travelers who had been to Iran and had not declared their destination to authorities. Saudi Arabia had already banned travel to Iran, which has over 190 virus deaths. The majority of cases in the Middle East can be traced back to Iran. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia announced it was suspending travel with nine countries over the spread of the new coronavirus. The temporary measure affected travel with the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, South Korea, Egypt, Italy and Iraq. Four new cases were registered in the Kingdom on Monday, including in an American arrival who visited Italy and the Philippines. The American visitor has been transferred to a hospital in Riyadh, the capital. The rest involve a Saudi national who had contact with an infected person in al-Qatif, and two Bahraini women who came from Iraq. The interior ministry announced on Sunday a lockdown in al-Qatif. The entertainment authority announced on Monday the closure of leisure attractions Riyadh Boulevard and Winter Wonderland, over virus concerns. Precautions on Sunday included suspending all educational and Quranic activities in mosques in Saudi Arabia. All public and private schools and universities would also be suspended from Monday until further notice, state media said, adding that distance learning measures would be adopted. On Saturday, the government restricted land crossings with Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE to commercial trucks with passenger arrivals limited to three airports.

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