Following an evaluation of the Ebola situation, Saudi Arabia has suspended travel for its citizens to Kenya and stopped issuing visas to those coming from the country.
On Friday, 30 October, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) announced that the Kingdom had implemented additional measures to prevent the virus from spreading within its borders.
These measures include prohibiting Saudi citizens from traveling to Kenya and halting all visa categories for individuals arriving from the East African nation.
Additionally, Saudi authorities have restricted entry for travellers who have been in Kenya or any country experiencing an active Ebola outbreak within 21 days prior to their arrival, even if they transit through other countries.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has introduced additional precautionary measures to mitigate the risks associated with the Ebola virus, based on epidemiological assessments conducted by national health authorities,” stated
“The measures include suspending travel by Saudi citizens to the Republic of Kenya, halting all visa issuance for individuals arriving from Kenya, and barring entry for travellers arriving directly from Kenya or transiting through third countries if they stayed in Kenya-or any other country with an active Ebola outbreak-within 21 days preceding their arrival in the Kingdom,” the statement added.
Earlier this year, the Kingdom also imposed similar restrictions on three African nations.
“In June 2026, the Kingdom suspended travel to and from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, while tightening surveillance and entry-point screening for travellers arriving from neighbouring areas”, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
It added that it was monitoring developments in coordination with other health agencies and implementing preventive measures to protect public health.
The restrictions come as Kenya continues to manage an Ebola outbreak that has resulted in nine confirmed infections and two deaths in Uganda.
This comes even as the East African country announced that there was no new Ebola infection reported for the past 10 consecutive days.
The first group of 20 contacts finished their 21-day monitoring on 26 October and were released, while another 46 were set to leave quarantine on 3 November.
According to Kenyan authorities all remaining contacts under quarantine and surveillance will be released by 11 November.
