COVID 19: Saudi Arabia Lifts Ban on Nigeria as Omicron Fear Subsides
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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has lifted its ban on Nigeria and several other African countries
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This comes almost 3 months after the ban was put in place, following the outbreak of the COVID 19 Omicron variant
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The reversal of the ban took effect on Saturday, March 5, 2022, according to multiple sources in the Arabian country
As fears about the COVID 19 Omicron variant continue to diminish, more countries are removing safety protocols and travel restrictions that were put in place to prevent the spread of the virus. The most recent is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has announced the lifting of the travel ban that was placed on Nigeria and 18 other countries.
According to Saudi Gazette, the country’s minister of interior has revealed that flights to South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Malawi, Mauritius, Zambia, Madagascar, Angola, Seychelles, Comoros, Ethiopia, and Afghanistan.
The ban was imposed in December 2021, in the wake of the outbreak of the Omicron variant, and the country shut its borders to 19 countries to control its cases.
Multiple media reports in the Middle Eastern country have revealed that the removal of the ban took effect from Saturday, March 5, 2022.
Read also: Nigeria Celebrates 850,000 AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine Shipment From Japan
The removal was also confirmed by the personal assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on new media, Bashir Ahmad in a tweet.
Saudi Arabia has lifted the suspension of direct flights from Nigeria and other 18 countries.
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) March 5, 2022
The suspension of the restriction follows a request that was made by the Federal Government in January 2022 for Saudi Arabia to lift the ban.
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