TodayWorld News

Saudi Arabia opens Umrah pilgrimage to vaccinated foreigners | Coronavirus pandemic Information

Saudi Arabia will start receiving Umrah pilgrimage requests from overseas for vaccinated worshippers beginning August 9.

Saudi Arabia says it would start receiving Umrah pilgrimage requests from vaccinated international worshippers beginning on August 9.

The announcement on state media early on Sunday took place 18 months after the dominion closed its borders to international pilgrims because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Saudi Press Company mentioned authorities within the ministry liable for coordinating international pilgrims will from Monday start “receiving Umrah requests from numerous international locations of the world”.

Permits will initially be granted to 60,000 Umrah pilgrims per 30 days, however that quantity will regularly be elevated to 2 million per 30 days, the report mentioned.

Abroad pilgrims should embody authorised COVID-19 vaccination certificates together with their Umrah request, it mentioned.

Vaccinated pilgrims from international locations on Saudi Arabia’s no entry checklist can be topic to institutional quarantine upon arrival, it added.

The Umrah is a pilgrimage to Islam’s two holiest websites within the cities of Mecca and Medina and might be undertaken at any time of the yr. It’s distinct from the Hajj, which takes place as soon as yearly.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted each pilgrimages, that are often key income earners for the dominion. Collectively, they rake in round $12bn per yr in regular instances.

Saudi Arabia stopped the Umrah following the pandemic, however reopened it to immunised home worshippers in October final yr.

The Hajj came about in July each this yr and final yr, although in a scaled down method.

Altogether, Saudi Arabia has registered almost 532,000 coronavirus instances and greater than 8,300 deaths.

Its authorities has accelerated a nationwide vaccination drive because it strikes to revive tourism and different pandemic-hit sectors, reminiscent of sport competitions and leisure extravaganzas.

Vaccination is necessary for anybody looking for to enter authorities and personal institutions, together with training establishments and leisure venues, in addition to to make use of public transport.

 

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button