São Paulo – Saudi Arabia announced this Monday (13) the suspension of some measures to prevent COVID-19, such as the use of masks in indoor spaces and the requirement of proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter places, board planes, and use public transportation. Information was released by the Saudi state news agency, SPA.
Masks will no longer be required indoors, except for the two holy mosques in Mecca and Medina. In addition, citizens who want to travel abroad only need to wait eight days after the second shot of the vaccine to receive the third (booster shot). Previously, the waiting period was three months.
The Ministry of the Interior informed the SPA the decision was based on assessments of the situation of the pandemic in the country, which has seen continuous improvement in its indicators, in addition to the high immunization rate of the kingdom’s population, which had an effective national vaccination program. Saudi Arabia has been easing preventive measures against COVID-19 since last year.
*With information from Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
