Saudi Arabia suspends air travel from Brazil

São Paulo – Saudi Arabia suspended aviation to and from India, Brazil and Argentina, Gulf News reported quoting the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority. the choice is meant to curb the spread of Covid-19. People having traveled to at least one of these three countries won't be allowed into Saudi Arabia within the 14 days following their trips.

Exception is formed to travelers officially invited by the Saudi government. “Suspending visit and from the subsequent countries (India, Brazil, and Argentina) including a person who has been in any of the mentioned countries within the last (14) days before their arrival to the dominion ,” a Civil Aviation Authority statement read.

As per the newest available numbers from the planet Health Organization (WHO), India had 6 million cases and 95,542 deaths from Covid-19. Brazil had 4.7 million cases and 141,406 deaths. Argentina had much lower numbers, at 702,400 cases and 15,544 deaths. Saudi Arabia had 333,100 cases and 4,683 deaths, consistent with the WHO.

Saudi Arabia is that the Middle East’s biggest paradox. it's a rustic where shariah is its constitution, the extremist Wahhabi doctrine dictates its citizens’ way of life, and its democratic institutions — just like the parliament, also as universal values like freedom of expression and therefore the status of girls — aren't a part of the official or public lexicon. It also produced Osama bin Laden and most of the 9/11 terrorists. And it's considered the United States’ strongest ally within the Middle East .

In a country that possesses unimaginable wealth by virtue of its oil and gas , there are enclaves of abject poverty. during a kingdom with one among the foremost modern armies within the Middle East , there's not enough professional manpower to work its fighter jets (so it's to enlist Pakistani pilots). this is often a rustic with enormous diplomatic weight that wields huge leverage over Arab and Western countries, yet it's failed time after time to resolve regional conflicts.

Riyadh remains barely involved within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, although it's Saudi Arabia which tabled the Arab first step that won the support of Arab countries. Its efforts to effect fundamental change within the Lebanese government led to fiasco, and it kept its distance from the war in Syria — although it could have opened a front there against its archrival, Iran. and therefore the war it launched in Yemen has been happening for four years with without stopping in view . Moreover, Riyadh is directly liable for one among the foremost serious internal Arab conflicts, born after it imposed sanctions on Qatar and dragged Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain with it into a needless and dangerous situation.

Does Saudi Arabia enjoy an excessive amount of esteem when actually it's no quite a big oil kingdom that must be closely guarded lest it burst and fall apart? Can it really function an Arab spearhead against Iran? Or is it actually a frightened country trying to survive in an age when dependence on Saudi oil is declining?