Saudi to bear Covid-19 treatment expenses for residents

All passengers who test positive for Covid-19 will undergo isolation in institutional quarantine for a period of up to 14 days

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has announced that the state will bear the costs of treating residents and GCC citizens who need hospitalisation after testing positive for Covid-19 during institutional quarantine upon arrival to the Kingdom, while those on a visitor visa must carry insurance.

All passengers who test positive for Covid-19 will undergo isolation in institutional quarantine for a period of up to 14 days, depending on the state of recovery for those whose health status does not require hospitalisation.

According to the new guidelines, all carriers must announce on their websites that the Saudi government requires institutional quarantine for those who plan to visit the country.

Those travelling on a visitor visa must obtain medical insurance to cover their Covid-19 treatment. The insurance should cover the costs of treatment in outpatient clinics and hospitals; including quarantine for up to 14 days.

Passengers who do not meet the requirements shall be sent back to the destination from where they departed, and the carrier will bear the costs.

Violators of isolation instructions or quarantine shall be punished with a fine of SR200,000 (US$53,260) or imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years, or both. Following punishment, non-Saudi violators will be deported from the Kingdom and banned from re-entering indefinitely.

Upon arrival, Saudi Arabia currently requires that passengers show proof of vaccination with one of the following vaccines: two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech; two doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca: two doses of Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s.

Vaccine certificates should be certified by official health authorities from the country of origin. The duration between receiving the second dose of a two-dose vaccine or the first dose of a single-dose vaccine should not be less than 14 days before travelling to Saudi Arabia.

Vaccine certificates may be verified upon arrival at checkpoints and travellers must carry their vaccine certificates or proof of health status on applications and accredited programmes at all times.