A social distancing sign is seen on the floor as a Saudi man man wearing a face mask walks with his luggage at the King Khalid International Airport, after Saudi authorities lifted the travel ban on its citizens after fourteen months due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 16, 2021. REUTERS FILE PHOTO
CAIRO — Saudi Arabia confirmed its first case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant coming from a north African country, the state news agency said on Wednesday.
Omicron, first reported in southern Africa and which the World Health Organization (WHO) said carries a “very high” risk of infection surges, has triggered global alarm, with border closures casting a shadow over a nascent economic recovery from a two-year pandemic.
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