The Latest: Saudi Arabia will reopen to tourists on Sunday

Saudi Arabia volition reopen its borders to tourists connected Sunday for the archetypal clip successful 18 months aft imposing restrictions astatine the commencement of the pandemic to curb the dispersed of the coronavirus.

The historically closed-off kingdom introduced physics visas for tourists successful precocious 2019, conscionable earlier the pandemic struck.

Saudi Arabia is looking to rebrand itself arsenic a unsocial tourer destination for quality lovers and funny travelers arsenic a mode to boost non-oil gross and make much jobs.

Citizens of 49 mostly European countries, arsenic good arsenic the U.S. and China among others, volition beryllium allowed to participate the kingdom nether the caller rules without quarantine if they supply a antagonistic PCR trial earlier question and person vaccine certificates proving 2 doses of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech oregon Moderna vaccines, oregon a azygous dose of the vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson.

Travelers vaccinated with the Chinese Sinopharm oregon Sinovac vaccine indispensable person received a 3rd dose of 1 of the different vaccines.

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Earlier this week, the kingdom warned that immoderate national who travels to red-listed countries, specified arsenic the neighboring emirate of Dubai wherever the delta variant is present, could look a three-year question ban.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

— Allegations turn that Myanmar authorities is utilizing pandemic to consolidate powerfulness and crush opposition

— Biden orders pugnacious caller vaccination rules for national workers, aiming to boost rates and acceptable an example

— Japan is acceptable to grow its exigency beyond Tokyo amid grounds surge successful infections portion the superior hosts the Olympics

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— US prohibition connected housing evictions to expire Saturday, with authorities to widen it facing uncertainty

— States contention to usage COVID-19 vaccines earlier they expire

— Olympics collects vial aft vial of spit to guarantee against microorganism spread, but specified tests are hard to find elsewhere successful Tokyo

— Find much AP sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

NEW YORK — U.S. wellness officials are expected to merchandise caller information astir the dispersed of COVID-19 connected Friday that led to their determination to urge that vaccinated radical deterioration masks successful immoderate situations, a reversal of erstwhile guidance.

The report, to beryllium released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, comes from a caller probe of a coronavirus outbreak successful Provincetown, Massachusetts, according to a national authoritative who spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorized to disclose the plan.

Earlier this week, the CDC changed its masking guidelines, recommending that adjacent vaccinated radical instrumentality to wearing masks indoors successful parts of the U.S. wherever the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling surges successful caller cases.

Citing caller – but unreleased — accusation astir the variant’s quality to dispersed among vaccinated people, the CDC besides recommended indoor masks for each teachers, staff, students and visitors astatine schools nationwide, careless of vaccination status.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia volition connection escaped antibody tests to immoderate afloat vaccinated radical to survey whether immoderate aged and immunocompromised individuals should person a booster shot.

State officials said they are pursuing the pb of Israel, which said Thursday afloat vaccinated radical older than 60 would beryllium offered a booster.

West Virginia volition connection the investigating for residents property 60 and older, peculiarly those surviving successful nursing homes, who received their last vaccine dose astatine slightest six months ago.

If their antibody levels are low, a booster changeable whitethorn beryllium recommended. The determination comes arsenic the much contagious delta variant takes a clasp successful the United States, starring to the instrumentality of disguise mandates successful immoderate parts of the country.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas’ Republican politician is calling lawmakers backmost to the Capitol to assistance the state’s prohibition connected disguise requirements successful nationalist schools.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson connected Thursday said he’ll telephone the majority-Republican Legislature into league apt adjacent week to amend a authorities instrumentality that prohibits authorities and section authorities entities from requiring look masks. Hutchinson said he’ll suggest giving section schoolhouse boards the powerfulness to determine whether to necessitate masks successful K-12 schools.

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“This is not a statement astir disguise mandates for those that tin marque their ain decisions and person the means to get vaccinated,” Hutchinson said a quality league astatine the authorities Capitol. “This is simply a treatment astir the schoolhouse situation wherever schools tin marque decisions astir the nationalist wellness for their schoolhouse situation and the children they person work to protect.”

Hutchinson besides declared a caller emergency, 2 months aft ending the declaration he’d enactment successful spot astatine the commencement of the pandemic past year.

Arkansas’ coronavirus cases person skyrocketed due to the fact that of the delta variant and the state’s debased vaccination rate. The authorities reported much than 2,800 caller cases connected Thursday.

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ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sought to displacement blasted to President Joe Biden for Georgia’s mediocre vaccination complaint Thursday arsenic COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations continued to sprint upward.

The Republican, speaking to reporters, blamed the Democratic president for not doing capable to propulsion the Food and Drug Administration to upgrade their exigency authorization for the vaccines to a imperishable authorization. Kemp said urging radical to usage masks again is simply a “mixed message” that could discourage vaccination.

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The politician reiterated his telephone for radical to get vaccinated against the disease, saying helium would lone question different solutions if Georgia hospitals began to get overwhelmed. Georgia ranks successful the bottommost 10 states for vaccination rates.

“We cognize that the vaccines work,” Kemp said. “I privation to promote radical to get vaccinated if you’re comfy doing that.”

Democratic authorities Sen. Michelle Au, an anesthesiologist with a master’s grade successful nationalist health, said Kemp’s attack to expanding vaccination rates is unimaginative and passive.

Georgia recorded much than 4,800 cases of COVID-19 connected Thursday, the worst fig since Feb. 5. The authorities peaked connected Jan. 8, with astir 13,000 recorded cases.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.