São Paulo – At least three Arab Gulf countries announced the decision to close their borders due to the new strain of the coronavirus, which has infected over 1,000 people in the United Kingdom, Saudi newspaper Arab News published on its website. Pictured above, airport in Kuwait.
Kuwait said it will suspend all commercial flights and close its land borders starting from 11 pm – local time – on Monday until January 1. The country added the UK to its high-risk list of countries, meaning all flights from it are banned.
Oman will be closing its land, air and sea borders tomorrow at 1 a.m. local time for one week to prevent the new strain of the virus from entering the country. Oman said cargos via airplanes, ships and trucks will be excluded from the border lockdown and will continue to monitor the epidemiological situation of the new strain.
Saudi Arabia on Sunday (20) suspended all international passenger flights for one week. Entry through land and sea ports has also been suspended and this period may be extended by another week. Some flights will be allowed in exceptional circumstances, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Anyone who has returned to Saudi Arabia from European countries or high-risk countries after December 8 is required to quarantine for two weeks from the date of their arrival. They must also undergo a COVID-19 test during their self-isolation period and repeat the test every five days. Anyone who has transited through a European or high-risk country within the last three months must also undergo the test. The movement of goods and commodities will continue as usual.
The new strain of COVID-19 is 70% more infectious and has been identified in the UK, several other European countries, Australia, and South Africa. The new threat emerged just as the introduction of several vaccines developed raised hopes throughout the world that the COVID-19 pandemic could be defeated.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda