Saudi Arabia allows people jabbed with Sputnik to enter

MOSCOW: Saudi Arabia had recently granted permission for anyone vaccinated with Russia's Sputnik vaccine to enter the kingdom, allowing Muslims to perform Hajj and Umrah.

According to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had approved the entry of people who had been inoculated with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine from January 1, 2022.  It further asserted that Muslims from all over the globe who had been vaccinated with Sputnik V would be eligible to participate in the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages to Islam's holiest sites in Makkah al-Mukarramah and Al Madinah Al Munawwarah. Foreign tourists who had received the Sputnik vaccine must still be quarantined for 48 hours and undergo a PCR test.

RDIF further stated that Saudi Arabia had joined almost 100 nations that welcome visitors who had been vaccinated with Sputnik, with only 15 countries, including the United States, requiring travellers to be immunized with vaccines other than Sputnik.