Riyadh: Starting from today i.e. Monday August 9, 2021, corresponding to 1st Muharram 1443 AH, Saudi Arabia has begun receiving requests to perform Umrah -- an Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah -- from foreign worshippers, the government 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.
Saudi Hajj and Umrah Ministry had on July 25 released a detailed guideline for foreign Umrah pilgrims seeking visa for pilgrimage to Makkah.
The ministry on Monday said children of citizens and residents above the age of 12 who have received at least one dose of COVID-19 Vaccine can also apply for permits of Umrah, Ziyarah and Prayers at Rawdah and Masjid Al Haram.
The ministry has also decided to increase the capacity of Umrah pilgrims to 2 million per month starting Muharram 1443 AH.
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.
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