Saudi Arabia bans entry for GCC citizens, residents in the wake of coronavirus

• Travellers from the GCC should spend 14 continuous days there, and upon no sign of developing the coronavirus, they will be granted entry.
• The kingdom reported its first positive case of the coronavirus on Monday.

After reporting its first case of the novel coronavirus, Saudi Arabia has barred citizens and residents of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from entering the kingdom for 14 days after returning from outside.

According to the state news agency SPA, the kingdom has barred travellers coming from United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. The agency continued that travellers from the GCC should spend 14 continuous days there, and upon no sign of developing the coronavirus, they will be granted entry.

The other GCC states have also diagnosed the infection in people who had visited Iran, totalling more than 145 cases, Reuters reported.

Earlier, the kingdom also banned foreigners arriving for the Muslim umrah pilgrimage. On Monday, the kingdom reported its first case of the virus after a  Saudi national returned from Iran.

According to the Saudi authorities, the patient did not disclose his visit from Iran upon returning. The health ministry is testing 70 people who came into contact with the patient.