Foreigners who have received Chinese COVID-19 vaccines are not allowed to enter Saudi Arabia.
Foreign passport holders must now be vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccinations supplied by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson in order to enter the oil-rich Middle Eastern state, according to an amended travel advice released last week.
Thousands of Saudi workers and Hajj and Umrah visitors have been caught off guard by the decision to prohibit China’s Coronavirus vaccinations, including the commonly used Sinovac and Sinopharm. In different countries around the world, five Chinese COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for use. Sinopharm created two vaccines, while Sinovac, CanSinoBIO, and Anhui Zhifei Longcom each developed one. Saudi Arabia will not allow recipients of these Chinese immunizations to enter the country.
Following last week’s statement, the Foreign Ministries of countries that use Chinese COVID-19 vaccines, such as Pakistan, contacted Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry and requested that Chinese vaccines be included in the country’s travel alert. The European Union declared earlier this week that only tourists who have been vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine approved by the European Medicine Agency will be allowed entry (EMA).
With the World Health Organization (WHO) giving Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to two Chinese COVID-19 vaccines made by Sinopharm and Sinovac, Saudi Arabia and the EU are anticipated to reconsider their choices and allow recipients of these two Chinese vaccinations to enter the country.
