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Saudi Arabia relaxes Covid-19 regulations

Saudi Arabia relaxes Covid-19 regulations

Masks in open spaces will no longer be mandatory for those who are fully vaccinated 

Saudi Arabia will continue easing Covid-19 restrictions from 17 October 2021, allowing gatherings and lifting some mask mandates for those who have received both vaccine doses.

According to the Ministry of Interior, members of the public must still wear masks in closed spaces and areas that are not monitored by the Tawakkalna tracing app.

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Social distancing regulations will be dropped, and public transport, restaurants and cinemas monitored by Tawakkalna will be allowed to operate at full capacity once more for people who have received both vaccine doses.

The cap on visitors to Mecca’s Grand Mosque will also no longer be enforced. Those who are fully vaccinated are able to visit the mosque while wearing a mask and using the Umrah tracking app. The same rules will apply to devotees who wish to visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.

Events in wedding halls will be allowed without attendance restrictions, although staff and guests must still wear masks in closed spaces.

The Ministry of Interior added that the rules were subject to change depending on the development of the pandemic and underlined that the new regulations only apply to those who have been fully vaccinated, which accounts for around 20.6 million people in KSA.

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