Saudi Arabia Announces Resumption Date For Umrah Pilgrimage

The Saudi Arabia government has announced that Muslims would be allowed to perform lesser hajj also known as Umrah starting from October 2020, seven months after shutting down the two holy mosques in Makkah and Medina.

It was gathered that Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, September 22 announced that it would start allowing pilgrims to perform umrah in gradual stages in line with the COVID-19 protocols.

According to Arab News, the Saudi’s ministry of interior, said the decision was made after assessing the developments of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The ministry announced that the first phase of the gradual return would include allowing citizens and expatriates from within the Kingdom to perform Umrah at a capacity of 30% from October 4.

It added that the move would be equivalent to 6,000 pilgrims per day, while the second phase would increase the capacity of the Grand Mosque to 75%, which would include 15,000 pilgrims and 40,000 worshippers a day from October 18.

Also, in the third phase, pilgrims from abroad would be allowed to perform Umrah as of November 1, with a full capacity of 20,000 pilgrims and 60,000 worshippers per day.

Meanwhile, the fourth stage would see the Grand Mosque return to normal when all the COVID-19 risks have gone away.

However, the ministry of interior stated that the entry of pilgrims, worshippers and visitors will be regulated through an application called “I’tamarna.

The application which is to be launched by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is aimed at making it easier for pilgrims to book their journeys.

In the meantime, people planning to attend the holy sites have been advised to adhere to the preventive measures, wear face masks, maintain social distances. You will recall that the Saudi authority closed the mosques in February 2020 to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus among pilgrims.