Saudi Arabia Bans Entry from Three Ebola-Hit Nations

Saudi Arabia has imposed a temporary travel ban on citizens and recent travellers from three African countries following a resurgence of the Ebola virus, as authorities seek to prevent the deadly disease from entering the Kingdom.

The country’s Public Health Authority, known as Weqaya, announced that the suspension will remain in force until further notice. The restriction applies to travellers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Sudan, all of which have been affected by recent Ebola outbreaks.

According to Weqaya, nationals of these three countries will not be permitted to enter Saudi Arabia under any type of visa, including visas issued for Umrah pilgrims. The measure also extends beyond nationality. Anyone who has been present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the 21 days preceding their arrival in Saudi Arabia will also be denied entry, even if they travel through a third country before reaching the Kingdom.

The decision reflects Saudi Arabia’s precautionary approach to infectious disease control, particularly given the large number of international visitors who travel to the country each year for religious pilgrimages, business and tourism. Public health authorities routinely tighten border health measures when significant disease outbreaks occur elsewhere in the world.

Alongside the entry restrictions, Weqaya has introduced enhanced preventive measures for travellers arriving from Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville). Although travellers from these countries are not subject to the entry ban, they will undergo additional health screening at border entry points and will be placed under increased disease surveillance to identify any potential symptoms of Ebola.

Saudi health officials stressed that the measures are purely preventive and confirmed that no Ebola cases have been detected in the Kingdom since 2019. The authorities said they will continue to monitor the international situation closely and review the restrictions as new public health information becomes available.

Ebola is one of the world’s most dangerous viral diseases, causing severe haemorrhagic fever and carrying a high fatality rate if not diagnosed and treated promptly. The virus spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated materials rather than through the air. Symptoms typically include sudden fever, severe weakness, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola was first identified in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since then, multiple outbreaks have occurred across parts of Central and East Africa. The disease has an average case fatality rate of around 50 per cent, although mortality has varied considerably between outbreaks depending on the virus strain and access to medical care. WHO estimates indicate that nearly 15,000 people have died from Ebola since it was first discovered.

International concern over the virus has intensified in recent days. On Wednesday, French authorities confirmed the country’s first Ebola case after a doctor who had been working on a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo returned to France carrying the virus. The physician has since been admitted to a specialised quarantine facility, where treatment and monitoring are continuing.

Saudi Arabia’s latest restrictions underscore the heightened vigilance being exercised by governments around the world in response to emerging infectious disease threats. With millions of international travellers entering the Kingdom each year, particularly during the Islamic pilgrimage seasons, authorities have emphasised that strengthening border controls and public health surveillance remains essential to protecting both residents and visitors while reducing the risk of cross-border transmission.