RIYADH — A Saudi Arabian Airlines flight carrying 219 stranded Saudi citizens from Malaysia landed at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Saturday in one of the first trips of the repatriation operation, Saudi Press Agency reported Saturday. The operation follows the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and defense minister, out of their concern for the safety and health of citizens abroad amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As part of the royal directives, the authorities were asked to follow up on the affairs of the stranded citizens, their families and companions since the beginning of the global outbreak and ensure their safety in their respective countries of stay until their return to the homeland. Meanwhile, the Saudi citizens who arrived at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on Saturday were greeted by representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs, tourism, health and the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). Upon their arrival at the airport, they were subjected to all health and preventive measures with regard to coronavirus. The government agencies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Health and the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) have taken a number of measures to ensure the health and safety of the returnees. As part of the exercise, they have identified 12 stages, which the citizens need to go through, beginning from the arrival of the citizens to the airport of the country of departure. The Ministry of Health has allocated a checkpoint where all incoming passengers must pass through the thermal camera devices. In case a passenger is suspected of showing any symptoms of coronavirus, he or she is isolated from the rest of the passengers. The passengers are required to sterilize their hands before starting passport stamping procedure, and a distance of at least 1.5 meters must be maintained between immigration officers and passengers. In the last step, the passengers are sorted at the exit by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Tourism as per the itineraries and are transported to the guesthouses prepared by the Ministry of Tourism and supervised by the Health Ministry for a period of 14 days. The first stage of the trips for the return of citizens will include many international destinations coming from different continents of the world to the Kingdom's international airports, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.
