Riyad (SD) – The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced that it will not allow citizens of 20 countries to enter the kingdom temporarily, in an effort to curb the spread of the Covid 19 variants.

“The Ministry of Interior announced that a temporary suspension for entry to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [from 20 countries] has been enforced on non-citizens, diplomats, health practitioners and their families,” the Saudi Press Agency said in a statement.

The announcement comes at the time when Coronavirus cases have been on the rise in Saudi Arabia in recent days, with the government registering more than 368,000 cases and 6,400 deaths.

The effected countries include the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United States, Britain, South Africa, France, Egypt, Lebanon, India, Pakistan and others.

Somalia is not included in the list of countries banned from traveling to Saudi Arabia.

The decision will also affect passengers who transit through these countries on their way to Saudi Arabia, however, Saudi citizens are not affected by this decision.