RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation on Monday instructed all airlines operating at airports in the Kingdom to exempt all Saudis traveling from Ukraine, and their non-Saudi dependents, from the requirement to provide the result of a PCR tests before entering the country.

Instead, the authority said a PCR test must be taken within 48 hours of arrival, the Saudi Press Agency reported. GACA said that failure to comply with the instructions would be a violation of government regulations, and legal action will be taken against anyone that violates them.

It was announced on Feb. 9 that regardless of vaccination status, Saudi citizens and foreign nationals traveling to the Kingdom must present proof of a negative result of an approved PCR or rapid antigen test taken within 48 hours of departure. Children under the age of 8 are exempt, although any regulations imposed by the country of departure related to COVID-19 testing procedures for children must be followed.

Citizens who test positive for COVID-19 but are fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by authorities in the Kingdom can enter Saudi Arabia seven days after a positive test without needing to take another. Those who are not fully vaccinated can enter the Kingdom 10 days after a positive test.

As of Monday, 723,549 people in the Kingdom have recovered from the virus, while 8,998 people have died. Nearly 61 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country to date.