Saudi Arabia’s new vaccine conditions leave Pak travellers in a fix

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's new conditions related to the coronavirus vaccine have made life difficult for a lot of Pakistanis aspiring to travel to the kingdom as the kingdom has not included in its list of recommended vaccines, any of the ones that have been manufactured in China.

Most people in Pakistan are being vaccinated with the coronavirus vaccines manufactured by China, due to which a lot of Pakistanis are figuring out how to travel to the kingdom. Pfizer, Oxford, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson's coronavirus vaccines have been recommended by the kingdom for use. According to foreign media, passengers who do not receive the shots from the recommended vaccines will have to undergo a mandatory quarantine period in Saudi Arabia.

The cost of the quarantine will have to be paid by the passengers themselves. The proposed conditions will be implemented from May 20. Pakistan launched its coronavirus vaccination drive on February 2, after receiving the first batch of the Sinopharm vaccine. In its first phase, Pakistan has been vaccinating frontline healthcare workers. The campaign will soon be extended to include citizens under 40 years old. Sinopharm, developed by a state-run pharmaceutical company in China, has shown to be 79 percent effective.