RIYADH, 9 July 2003 — Saudi Arabia, which is home to some six million foreigners, has lifted a three-month ban on the entry of nationals from countries hit by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
The decision was based on the World Health Organization’s declaration at the weekend that the SARS outbreak had been contained worldwide, said Qassem Al-Kassabi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Health.
Screening and other measures introduced to prevent the spread of the disease into the Kingdom would however remain in place indefinitely, Kassabi added.
The ban, introduced in April, was applied to nationals of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam and to people who had visited those countries within 10 days of arriving.
The Ministry of Health has been using advanced equipment at airports capable of detecting suspected cases of the disease which has killed 800 people and infected thousands worldwide.
