Saudi GACA exempts domestic workers accompanying diplomats from Institutional quarantine

JEDDAH — The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has exempted domestic workers accompanying diplomats and their families in the Kingdom from the institutional quarantine upon their arrival to the Kingdom.

The authority issued on Thursday an updated version of the guideline for travelers who are not Saudi citizens and the exempted groups who are not immunized, as well as those coming from countries from which the entry has not been suspended.

Those holding a diplomatic visa, diplomats and their families, and their domestic workers, however, need to adhere to quarantine procedures at their homes in accordance with regulations approved by the Ministry of Health, according to the updated GACA guideline.

The guideline explains that all passengers, who test positive for COVID-19 and do not require hospitalization, will need to go into institutional quarantine for a period of 10-14 days, depending on the state of recovery.

According to the guideline, all air carriers must announce on their websites that the Saudi government requires institutional quarantine for those who plan to visit the country and must, also, obtain medical insurance to cover their COVID-19 treatment.

Violators of isolation instructions or quarantine shall be punished with a fine of SR200,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or both, and in the event of a repeat violation, the penalty shall be doubled.

Non-Saudi violators will be deported from the Kingdom and banned from entering indefinitely after the execution of the punishment against the individual.

Travelers who intend to visit Saudi Arabia should have medical insurance that covers COVID-19 treatment. Residents and GCC citizens shall be excluded from obtaining the insurance.

The insurance should cover the costs of treatment in outpatient clinics, emergencies, and hospitals; including institutional quarantine for a period of up to 14 days.

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

Saudi Arabia requires upon arrival that passengers show proof of vaccination with one of the flowing vaccines — two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, two doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca, two doses of Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s.

Vaccine certificates are required to be certified by official health authorities from the country that provided the vaccination for incoming passengers, and the duration between receiving the last dose (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 traveling to Saudi Arabia. Vaccine certificates may be verified upon arrival at the checkpoints of the Kingdom.

Travelers must carry their vaccine certificates at all times during their stay in the Kingdom (or proof of health status through applications and accredited programs in the Kingdom). Failure to comply with these regulations will subject the travelers to legal liabilities in addition to being banned from entry to the Kingdom.