JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday banned expatriates from traveling to the kingdom from 20 countries to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Exceptions to the ban, which begins at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, are diplomats, and medical staff and their families.
Travel will be banned from the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Japan.
The ban also applies to travelers who transited through any of the 20 countries in the 14 days before a planned visit to the kingdom. Many passengers had been using Dubai as a transit hub from countries where there are no direct flights to Saudi Arabia, an option that is now no longer available.
The new action comes amid a global surge in cases of COVID-19 linked to variations in the original coronavirus, first detected in England, South Africa and Brazil, and fears that vaccines being rolled out worldwide may be less effective against them.
Britain began door-to-door testing of 80,000 people on Tuesday in an effort to stem the spread of the highly infectious South African variant, and there has been an increased spread of the English variant in Sweden.
Health officials in the Kingdom warned this week that stricter measures would be necessary to curb the spread of the virus if the public continued to flout regulations on social distancing and a ban on large gatherings. Saudi Arabia reported 310 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, almost four times the number a month ago.
Flights to and from the Kingdom were first suspended on March 14, 2020, two weeks after the World Health Organization declared that the coronavirus outbreak was a pandemic. Entry to Saudi Arabia by air, land and sea resumed on Jan. 3.
Saudi Arabia suspends entry from 20 countries, including Pakistan
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Saudi Arabia suspends entry from 20 countries, including Pakistan
- Exceptions to the ban, which begins at 9pm on Wednesday, are diplomats and medical staff and their families
- UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Brazil, South Africa, India, Indonesia, among nations banned
‘Flying Over Saudi’ launches cinematic aerial experience of Saudi landmarks
RIYADH: The Flying Over Saudi experience was launched on Thursday at Boulevard City as part of Riyadh Season, introducing visitors to the first experience of its kind in the Kingdom.
The attraction provides a cinematic aerial journey using immersive technologies and multisensory effects that display Saudi Arabia’s most significant natural and urban landscapes from a new perspective, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The experience takes guests on a visual journey over the Kingdom’s diverse terrain, taking in Saudi Arabia’s vast deserts, towering mountains, lush valleys, modern cities, and expansive coastlines, in addition to special views of the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah.
The film is presented in 8K resolution, featuring high-quality footage that captures the Kingdom’s geographic and cultural richness in a matter of minutes.
Each ride lasts about eight minutes, enhanced by sensory effects such as wind, water mist, and natural scent elements, along with innovative seat motion that intensifies the sense of realism and creates an experience close to actual flight.
The visual and audio technologies work seamlessly together to immerse visitors fully in the scenes presented.
By combining its immersive elements with footage filmed over diverse landscapes, Flying Over Saudi offers Riyadh Season visitors a new perspective of the Kingdom, one that merges advanced technology with local visual identity and highlights one of the widest natural maps extending from north to south and from the coastlines into the heart of the cities.
The launch of this experience exemplifies Riyadh Season’s commitment to delivering high-quality entertainment built on innovation and advanced presentation techniques. It further contributes to introducing visitors, from the Kingdom and abroad, to the beauty and diversity of Saudi Arabia’s destinations, reinforcing the season’s position as a leading platform for world-class immersive experiences.
