Saudi Arabia imposes Ebola-related travel bans on Kenya as countries tighten controls

By  Hilary Kimuyu

Correspondent

Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

• Saudi Arabia announced its measures on Friday suspending travel by its citizens to Kenya.
• The US has also asked nationals to consider postponing their travel plans to Kenya.

Saudi Arabia has imposed entry restrictions on travellers from Kenya, joining countries such as El Salvador that introduced controls earlier amid concerns over the spread of Ebola.

It raised fears of growing travel and diplomatic repercussions for Kenya which has reported nine cases since it imported one a month ago.

Riyadh’s restrictions target people arriving from Kenya or those who have recently travelled through the country. It marks a growing international response to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak and places Kenya among countries facing heightened scrutiny over the movement of people across borders.

The US has also asked nationals to consider postponing their travel plans to Kenya and is subjecting those from Kenya and the region to stringent screening.

Saudi Arabia announced its measures on Friday, 30 October, suspending travel by its citizens to Kenya, halting the issuance of all categories of visas to travellers from the Kenya and barring their entry into the Kingdom.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the restrictions also cover travellers arriving through third countries if they have stayed in Kenya or other countries experiencing Ebola outbreaks within the 21 days preceding their arrival.

“The measures were introduced following an assessment of the epidemiological situation by Saudi health authorities and are intended to reduce the risk of the virus spreading into the Kingdom,” according to Saudi Gazette.

The Saudi Public Health Authority, known as Weqaya, said the country's health situation remained stable and was under continuous monitoring.

“The restrictions were part of precautionary measures aimed at protecting citizens, residents and visitors from the risk of Ebola transmission,” Saudi authorities said.

Saudi Arabia's decision follows earlier restrictions imposed in June on travel to and arrivals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda and South Sudan, countries associated with the wider Ebola outbreak.

El Salvador had earlier imposed an entry restriction covering travellers from Kenya, taking a direct measure affecting people coming from the East African nation.

The Central American country's Ministry of Health, through Official Letter No. 2026-6000-055, directed that people arriving from or transiting through eight African countries, including Kenya, be declared inadmissible.

The other countries listed are Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda.

The restriction is based on travel history rather than nationality, meaning it can affect people of different nationalities who have travelled through the listed countries.

The measure came into the spotlight after CNN journalist Larry Madowo disclosed that El Salvador had denied him a special entry permit. His application, submitted on 14 October, was rejected under the health directive issued by the country's authorities.

Madowo said the restrictions extended beyond countries reporting active cases, arguing that several African countries without confirmed infections had also been included.

The two decisions illustrate how the outbreak is beginning to affect Kenya's international mobility, although other governments have opted for enhanced screening and monitoring rather than outright entry bans.

South Korea, for instance, added Kenya to its list of countries requiring enhanced Ebola-related quarantine inspections from 20 October.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Kenya was added to the country's designated focused quarantine management areas alongside 11 other countries.

Travellers arriving from Kenya are required to submit health-status declarations and may be subjected to additional screening and monitoring during the virus's 21-day incubation period.

The South Korean authorities also indicated that the measures would extend beyond airport screening, with health monitoring arrangements designed to identify possible infections after travellers enter the country.

The distinction is important because South Korea has not prohibited Kenyans from entering. Rather, it has introduced additional health checks for people with a travel history involving the affected countries.

Other governments have similarly tightened health surveillance, issued travel warnings or advised their citizens to exercise caution when travelling to Kenya.

The United States, for example, raised its travel advisory for Kenya to Level 3 on 19 October, advising its citizens to reconsider travel. However, the advisory also cited other security concerns, including terrorism, crime and civil unrest, and does not amount to an immigration ban on Kenyans.

Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia have also updated their travel and health guidance in response to the outbreak, although these measures should not be confused with restrictions preventing Kenyan citizens from entering those countries.

The wider international response has also included restrictions targeting travellers from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan, where the outbreak has prompted heightened concern.

According to immigration advisory firm Fragomen, several countries and territories have introduced Ebola-related entry restrictions, including Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

However, the restrictions in these jurisdictions largely concern travellers arriving from the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan or those who have recently visited these countries. They do not automatically constitute bans on Kenyan nationals.

The restrictions come despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) advising governments against shutting borders or restricting trade in response to the outbreak.

In its disease outbreak update of 23 October covering the DRC, Kenya and Nigeria, the organisation said it did not recommend restrictions on travel to or trade with affected countries.

“WHO advises against any restriction of travel to, or trade with, affected countries,” the organisation said.

Instead, WHO has called for stronger cross-border collaboration, surveillance, early detection, contact tracing and preparedness at points of entry.

The organisation has also been supporting Kenya's response through laboratory testing, case management, infection prevention and control, and health screening at points of entry.

Kenya's Ministry of Health has maintained that the outbreak remains contained within a single cluster linked to an imported case from the DRC.

The first patient, a Kenyan man who travelled from the DRC through Uganda before arriving in Nairobi, died on 5 October after testing positive for the Bundibugyo strain.

Eight additional infections were subsequently confirmed among his relatives and healthcare workers who had attended to him.

By 30 October, Kenya had recorded nine confirmed cases and two deaths, with no evidence of wider community transmission.

Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said the country had gone 10 days without recording a new infection, attributing the progress to coordinated interventions by the national government, county administrations and development partners.

“Kenya is making progress in containing the Ebola outbreak, with no new cases reported in the last 10 days,” Ms Muthoni said.

The Ministry said it was progressively releasing contacts who had completed the mandatory 21-day monitoring period without developing symptoms, with the remaining contacts expected to complete surveillance by 11 November.

The development offers some reassurance as Kenya seeks to contain the outbreak and prevent further infections.

However, the travel restrictions imposed by Saudi Arabia and El Salvador highlight the economic and diplomatic consequences that can accompany public health emergencies, particularly for countries whose economies depend on international travel, tourism, trade and labour mobility.

For Kenya, the challenge is to demonstrate that the outbreak is under control while maintaining public confidence and preventing precautionary measures abroad from escalating into broader restrictions that could affect citizens, businesses and international relations.

Ebola is a severe viral disease that spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of infected people. The disease can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.

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