Saudi Arabia bans entry of travellers from Kenya over Ebola concerns

Saudi Arabia bans entry of travellers from Kenya over Ebola concerns

Saudi Arabia has banned travellers from Kenya from entering the country as part of new precautionary measures to contain the spread of Ebola.

In an announcement outlining additional measures to combat the outbreak, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said the restrictions apply to travellers arriving directly from Kenya and those transiting through other countries, provided they have stayed in Kenya or any country reporting an Ebola outbreak within the previous 21 days.

Saudi Arabia has also suspended travel by its citizens to Kenya and halted the issuance of all categories of visas to Kenyan travellers.

The country has maintained similar travel restrictions on travellers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Sudan as it steps up efforts to prevent the spread of the virus.

The restrictions come as the multi-country Ebola outbreak continues to affect several African countries. The latest figures show over 10,000  confirmed cases and 5,030 deaths across the continent.

The DRC accounts for most infections, with 10,351 cases and 5,026 deaths. Uganda has reported 20 cases and two deaths, while Kenya has recorded nine cases and two deaths. Nigeria is also monitoring one imported case, with no deaths reported.

In Kenya, the Ministry of Health says the situation remains stable and under control, with no new infections reported in more than ten days.

All nine cases recorded in the country have been linked to a single cluster associated with an infected traveller from the DRC, with no community transmission reported.

The first 20 contacts traced in connection with the outbreak have completed their 21-day quarantine and returned home. The remaining 98 are expected to be released in phases from next week.