For concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic, only the vaccinated and the recovered will be provided with permissions…reports Asian Lite News
Saudi Arabia has started receiving requests to perform Umrah — an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca — from foreign worshippers from Monday, the government has announced.
For concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic, only the vaccinated and the recovered will be provided with permissions, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry of Haj and Umrah as saying in the announcement.
The Deputy Minister of Haj and Umrah, Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat said the authorities determine the countries from which Umrah performers come, and their numbers on a periodic basis according to the classification of preventive measures.
He called upon the performers to adhere to organisational plans and health procedures set by the Ministry.
On November 1, 2020, Saudi Arabia received foreign pilgrims under tight precautionary measures to perform Umrah for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic early last year.
Last month, Saudi Arabia had announced the successful conclusion of this year’s Hajj season, free from the Covid-19 and other contagious diseases.
Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah attributed the success to an integrated system of health facilities in the holy sites, highly equipped ambulances and qualified teams.
The minister added that limiting the number of domestic pilgrims during this Hajj season to 60,000 also contributed to the success, the Xinhua news agency reported.
For the second year in a row, Saudi Arabia has allowed only domestic pilgrims to performed Hajj to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.