A Major Update On Saudi Arabia Concerning COVID 19 That Has Ramifications For India!

Not an awful lot is said or usually covered, essentially speaking, regarding the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in regards to the COVID 19 situation. But truth certainly is that, thus far, there have been in excess of 369,000 reported cases in the oil-rich kingdom-empire! In fact, where the current updates are concerned, then, it must be noted, that there are somewhere in excess of 6,300 deaths (or fatalities) in regards to the COVID 19 in Saudi Arabia. This includes around 2,400 fatalities in the province of Makkah alone.

That being said, it appears that the concerns regarding COVID 19 in Saudi Arabia are growing, which is why a latest development seems to have spread surprising waves across the world.

So now the question is- what is the matter related to COVID 19 in Saudi Arabia and did something serious happen in the recent times?

It has been confirmed, as of February 3, 2021, that Saudi Arabia has banned the entry of no fewer than 20 countries into its kingdom. As a matter of fact, the list of banned countries also includes- India!

Just how many of us are surprised by the above outcome?

But this ‘temporary situation,’ it must be noted, does not, however, apply to the likes of Diplomats, Medical Practitioners, Saudi citizens, as well as their families.

The strict measures from the part of the illustrious Western Asian kingdom are a part of efforts to control the rise of the growing COVID 19 cases in Saudi Arabia.

The big part of concern here being to execute measures by which one can contain the COVID 19 pandemic within the dominion.

That being told, it must also be noted that not only is India banned from entering Saudi Arabia with immediate effect, the same applies to the United States. So what happens now and when might a sense of normalcy prevail in the kingdom?

While there are a lot of answers pending, as of now, on that front- here’s what major Indian news sites are reporting at the moment:

The ban also includes Lebanon, Turkey, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. Apart from the US and India, travellers from Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Pakistan, and South Africa have also been barred from entering the country.

The temporary ban will also apply to travellers who passed through the 20 banned countries during the 14 days preceding the implementation of the ban, Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry said.

A similar ban was last imposed in the country in December, after a new and more virulent strain of coronavirus was detected in the UK. The country had resumed international flights and reopened its ports on January 3, 2021.

The updates told, what’s surprising in some ways is that the new move comes within days of Riyadh- the all-important heartland of all things associated with the powerful kingdom- announcing that the country was thinking of actually reopening its ports. The confirmed date for the same, a as a matter of fact, was told to be from March, 2021 onwards.

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Alas, it’s not sure whether the same can happen anytime soon now.

As of 2020, the pandemic-marred developments, it was confirmed, had severely hit both the oil as well as the non oil sectors in Saudi Arabia! What’s clearly the world’s largest oil exporter badly needs to revive its post-COVID 19 economy! But how will things fare in the imminent future for the oil-rich kingdom, it can’t be said for certain.