Qataris celebrated crossing their border with Saudi Arabia Sunday, calling the kingdom "our second country", as Doha readied its strict coronavirus measures for Saudis to enter following opening of borders with Gulf countries.
Drivers arrived at the Salwa border crossing in Saudi Arabia, 500 kilometres (310 miles) east of the capital Riyadh, from the Qatari land crossing at Abu Samrah for the second day following its re-opening, AFP correspondents reported.
Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt agreed to lift the restrictions at a Gulf Cooperation Council summit in the kingdom on Tuesday.
"Coming from Qatar is like coming to our second country, where there's no difference between them and us in their traditions," said Mohammed al-Marri, a Qatari who had travelled into Saudi Arabia.
Since the re-opening of the border, 167 Qatari cars had entered Saudi Arabia, while 35 Qatari vehicles had crossed back into Qatar, said Ali Lablabi, general manager of Salwa's customs department.
"This happiness - no one can describe it," said Ghaith al-Marri, a Qatari. "There are people who started crying" when the border re-opened, he said.
Qatar Airways and Saudi Airlines announced Saturday on Twitter that they would begin resuming flights between their countries from Monday.
Qatar has announced strict coronavirus control measures for those arriving from Saudi Arabia. Doha will require travellers to present a negative coronavirus test, undergo another test at the frontier and quarantine in a government-approved hotel for one week.
Saudi Arabia has set up a coronavirus health centre at its Salwa border crossing with Qatar and set several health conditions for the entry of Qatari citizens, according to Al Arabiya TV. One of the most prominent conditions set in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is a PCR test and home quarantine.
