On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia became the first Gulf country to disclose the first confirmed case of Omicron, a novel coronavirus strain.
According to the state-run SPA news agency, the strain was discovered in a person returning from North Africa.
"In the kingdom, one incidence of the Omicron variant was found – it was a citizen from a North African country," the official stated.
"He and his connections have been placed in isolation, and the proper health precautions have been taken," he continued.
Despite warnings from the World Health Organization (WHO), the new COVID form, which initially arose in South Africa, has caused countries throughout the world to reimpose travel restrictions, despite WHO concerns that the restriction could exacerbate the crisis.
Saudi Arabia put a ban on flights from seven southern African countries last week as a precautionary move to combat the spread of a new coronavirus type.
