![Health workers perform a nose swab test during a drive through coronavirus test campaign held in Diriyah hospital in the Saudi capital Riyadh on May 7, 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic [FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/d2.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/GettyImages-1212156935-1.jpg?fit=920%2C613&ssl=1)
Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry on Monday extended a ban on entry to the kingdom by air, land and sea for another week amid concerns over a fast-spreading variant of the new coronavirus, the state news agency SPA reported, Reuters reports.
Saudi Arabia shut its borders on Monday Dec. 21 and suspended international commercial flights on a rolling weekly basis although foreign flights already in the country were allowed to leave.
The ministry said it is evaluating the situation while allowing non-citizens to leave the kingdom and allowing entry for exceptional cases, SPA reported.
The measures do not affect the movement of goods.