International flights come to a halt as Saudi Arabia suspends all flights

Breaking news, Saudi Arabia suspends international flights due to new mutant strain of coronavirus

The Kingdom reported this Monday that it is temporarily suspending international flights. This is the second suspension during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is directly due to the new strain of Covid-19, thought to have emerged from the UK.

Haramain Sharifain reports that this suspension on international flights will last for a week and after this, it will be reviewed.

Several other countries in Europe have banned travel from the UK, as a result of this new strain.

The new Covid-19 strain was first seen in September 2020, and it could be up to 70% more transmissible. This could have been the reason for the implementation of the Tier 4 system in London.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was expected to continue flights as normal from January 2021, however, this new strain has resulted in the change of plans.

The Covid-19 situation is ever-changing and so, the responses to this are also changing all the time. It is best to be well-informed before making plans to travel.

By Nasria Begum

Reference links

• BBC article on new coronavirus strain
• Haramain Sharifain article on temporary umrah ban