Saudi Arabia put the European Union on a travel restriction list, just hours after the US president's similar statement.

The Saudi Interior Ministry's statement today said that citizens and foreigners in this country are banned from countries including: European Union (EU), Switzerland, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Sudan, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Eritra, Kenya and Somalia to prevent the risk of nCoV infection.

The ban will take effect after 72 hours of publication, although many countries on this list have not recorded any cases of Covid-19.

The statement also states that anyone who has visited or stayed in these countries for the past 14 days is prohibited from entering Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Ministry of Interior said it was part of an effort to control and prevent the spread of Covid-19, protecting the health of citizens and foreign nationals.

The national airline of Saudi Arabia said it would resume flights to Paris, France until March 13. The statement also states that Filipinos and Indians working in the health sector, related to transportation and trade activities, will be exempted.

The decision was made just a few hours after the White House announced that it would ban people from 26 European countries from coming to the US for the next 30 days to prevent Covid-19 from spreading.

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia announced a similar ban with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, South Korea, Egypt, Italy and Iraq.

Covid-19 appeared in 124 countries and territories after the onset in Wuhan, China in December 2019, leaving more than 126,000 people infected, more than 4,600 people died worldwide.

Saudi Arabia recorded 45 cases of nCoV, while this number increased rapidly in neighboring countries, with UAE 74 cases, Kuwait 72 cases, Bahrain 195 cases, Qatar the most, 262 cases. Iran, a Gulf state, is the third largest outbreak in the world, with 9,000 cases and 354 deaths.