Iran lifts COVID-related travel bans

The Iranian government Wednesday removed coronavirus-related restrictions on citizens entering the country. 

The Civil Aviation Authority made the decision following a meeting with the Islamic Republic’s COVID-19 task force. There are no more travel bans from any country related to the virus. Travelers can enter Iran provided they have received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and have a negative PCR test. This applies to travelers who are more than 12 years old, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. 

Iran has banned travel from several countries throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Last December, Iranian authorities prohibited travel from several European countries due to the highly contagious Omicron variant of the virus. 

Some travel bans are related to politics and not the virus. The Islamic Republic has banned several US officials, companies and organizations from entering, for example. 

Iran has been one of the hardest hit countries in the world by COVID-19. More than 140,000 Iranians have died from the virus, though some officials believe the actual number could be twice as high. 

Iran’s vaccination campaign sped up following the inauguration of President Ebrahim Raisi in August. More than 75% of the population has now been vaccinated. 

The country is currently averaging around 2,900 cases a day among its population of more than 80 million. 

Middle Eastern states are mixed on whether they require foreigners to be vaccinated to enter. Israel requires proof of vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 to get into the country. The United Arab Emirates allows both vaccinated and non-vaccinated people to enter.