By John Ikani
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has lifted the ban imposed on Nigerian and 17 other countries in the wake of the emergence of Omicron COVID-19 variant.
The ban was imposed on December 8, 2021, thereby stalling all Umrah preparations by the Hajj and Umrah operators in Nigeria.
Other affected countries are South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Malawi, Mauritius, Zambia, Madagascar, Angola, Seychelles, United Republic of Comoros, Ethiopia and Afghanistan.
The lifting of restrictions was announced on Saturday, with the Kingdom also removing many COVID-19 restrictions, giving a green light for 2022 Hajj exercise.
Similarly, the Arab nation put an end to social distancing in the two holy mosques in the Kingdom but insisted on face masks while accessing the place of worship
The directive, issued by Saudi Arabia Ministry of Interior, and confirmed by Saudi embassy in Nigeria, became effective from March 5, 2022.
According to the new policy, citizens visiting the Kingdom will no longer be required to undergo mandatory COVID-19 quarantine or present PCR test result upon arrival in the holy land.
However, the new directive compel all new travelers to Saudi Arabia to secure an insurance that covers the costs of treatment from coronavirus infection.
Also, the Kingdom expressed commitment to complete the implementation of its national plan on immunisation, which would enable, among other principles, administration of booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine and applying procedures to verify health status of pilgrims at the point of entry any facilities, including events centres, airports, and public transportation.
It also declared that the new measures will be subjected to continuous evaluation by the health authoritries and in line with the country’s epidemiological situation.
