Saudi Arabia has issued a warning to its citizens regarding traveling to Lebanon, among 11 other countries, citing safety reasons.
The warning was issued by the Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry, which instructed those intending to travel to Lebanon and the other specified countries to request permission beforehand.
The other countries included in the warning are Turkey, Venezuela, Iran, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Somalia, Belarus, Libya, Yemen, and Armenia.
The Ministry cited security concerns and “the prevailing states of instability,” in addition to the continued spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and “the spread of a new, mutated strain of the virus.”
Lebanon is on the second day of its most stringent lockdown since the beginning of the pandemic last year.
As part of the new preventive measures, it has reduced the operational capacity of Beirut-Rafik Hariri International Airport to 20% and imposed exceptional restrictions on inbound travelers coming from a number of cities.
In an attempt to curb the skyrocketing daily case numbers, the authorities have also imposed a round-the-clock curfew with some exemptions.
The new shutdown came a week after a milder one that failed to mitigate the accelerating spread of the virus, for which the Lebanese Health Minister tested positive on Thursday.
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