Saudi Arabia announced on Friday, October 30, 2026, that it would suspend citizens’ travel to Kenya and halt visas amid Ebola concerns. The measures also include an entry bar for some travelers recently present in an outbreak area.
The Saudi Press Agency said national health authorities based the steps on epidemiological assessments. It did not describe the announcement as a new effective-date schedule. The Public Health Authority, known as Weqaya, said conditions inside the Kingdom remained reassuring and under constant surveillance.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale called the measures “excessive and unsupported by the country's current epidemiological situation.” He said officials had contained the outbreak in one cluster linked to an imported index case.
The Saudi agency described the policy as part of coordination with local and international health bodies to assess risks and protect citizens, residents and visitors. Its dispatch from Riyadh was dated October 30, 2026, at 16:46 local time, or 13:46 GMT.
The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs responded with a diplomatic note dated October 30, asking Riyadh to review and lift the limits. The ministry acknowledged the Kingdom’s right to protect public health under its own laws, but challenged the basis and breadth of the action.
Duale urged other governments to support the response rather than isolate the country. “What we require from the international community is support and collaboration, not condemnation, not travel restrictions and certainly not isolation,” he said.
The entry rule follows travelers even after a third-country stop
| Affected group | Announced restriction |
|---|---|
| Saudi citizens | Travel to the country is suspended |
| People arriving from the country | Visa issuance stops for all categories |
| Travelers recently present in an outbreak area | Entry is barred after direct or third-country travel |
The entry restriction applies to people who stayed in the country, or another place with an active outbreak, during the 21 days before arriving in the Kingdom. It covers direct arrivals and travelers who first pass through another country. A changed flight route does not remove the restriction for someone who was in an affected area during that period.
The directives extend preventive protocols that the Saudi agency said have been in place since July 2019 and were reinforced in May 2026 for arrivals from high-risk countries. In June 2026, the Kingdom suspended travel to and from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.
Authorities also tightened surveillance, epidemiological investigations and screening at entry points, alongside early-response procedures for travelers from neighboring areas. Weqaya said it continued tracking regional and international disease trends with relevant bodies.
Kenyan officials cite one cluster but report different case totals
Duale said no new case had been reported since October 19, 2026, and that investigators had found no community transmission. Health officials identified and traced 135 contacts linked to the imported index case, with 118 placed in quarantine.
“We have NOT had any transmission of the disease outside this cluster and I reiterate we have NO evidence of community transmission.”
The health ministry reported eight confirmed cases, all linked to the index case: four healthcare workers and four close family members. It also reported two deaths, including the index case, while seven remaining patients were recovering under care.
The Foreign Ministry’s diplomatic note cited nine confirmed cases in the cluster, rather than the health ministry’s eight. The note said all secondary cases had been in quarantine when they fell ill. Duale thanked Kenyans for their solidarity and said the response had shown “leadership and transparency.”
Nairobi demands a scientific rationale and review under WHO rules
The diplomatic note asked the Saudi national focal point to send the public-health rationale to the World Health Organization under Regulation 43 of the International Health Regulations (2005). The provision calls for countries introducing measures that significantly disrupt international traffic to provide their rationale within 48 hours and review those steps within three months. Nairobi set its own 48-hour deadline for Riyadh to provide the justification.
The note said the country notified WHO within 24 hours. It also cited the agency’s assessment of the response as “professional, diligent and transparent,” its advice against travel and trade restrictions, and its assessment that risk outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries was low.
The ministry warned the restrictions could affect pilgrims, migrant workers, students and business operators, as well as trade and tourism. It said the action could set a precedent for other African countries facing outbreaks and called unsupported restrictions “a potentially hostile act against the continent.”
Kenyan officials said they would raise the matter with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention alongside other affected countries. The government also offered to provide Weqaya with a detailed technical briefing on the outbreak and its containment.
Patient tests and quarantine releases are expected in early November
Five patients who tested negative on an initial test after treatment were awaiting a second test scheduled for Monday, November 2. The health ministry expected to discharge the patients on Tuesday, November 3.
The planned releases also included 46 contacts still in quarantine who had not developed symptoms. That would bring the total number of contacts released to 66, including 20 released earlier. The first group completed the mandatory 21-day quarantine and left isolation on October 26.
