More than 400,000 Pilgrims Performed Umrah during Pandemic

Makkah, MINA – The General Department for Managing the Crowd of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, facilitated the smooth implementation of the Umrah pilgrimage for more than 408,000 worshipers since the beginning of the first phase of the resumption of Umrah services during the pandemic period, starting from October 4 2020.

In addition, a total of 920,000 congregational worshipers are allowed to enter the Grand Mosque to perform obligatory prayers since the start of the second phase on October 18, 2020.

The Saudi Gazette reported that as quoted by MINA on Monday about 75 percent of the capacity of the Grand Mosque is open to congregational prayer congregations, Umrah pilgrims as well as domestic and foreign visitors, as the third stage of the resumption of Umrah gradually began last Sunday.

In the third stage, as many as 20,000 Umrah and 60,000 congregational prayers will be allowed to enter the Grand Mosque every day.

The pilgrims will perform the ritual in groups. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said it had set 10 days as the maximum stay for foreign pilgrims in the Kingdom. The period available for reservation via the Eatmarna application is until 31 December 2020.

According to protocols issued by the ministry, the age of pilgrims from abroad must be between 18-50 years and they must be quarantined for three days at their lodging in Mecca after they have just arrived in Saudi.

The regulation stipulates that pilgrims must have a PCR medical test certificate which shows that they are free of the coronavirus issued by a trusted laboratory in their country, no more than 72 hours from sampling until the time of departure to Saudi.

The General Department of Crowd Management at the Grand Mosque of Makkah continues to closely monitor all aspects of crowd management and grouping of congregations. The department quickly intervened with regard to related agencies to overcome negative things that hindered the smooth flow of the Umrah and congregation praying in congregation and the implementation of their worship.

The department has taken a number of steps to ensure smooth crowd management at all times to enable Umrah and congregational prayer congregations to perform their prayers with ease and comfort.

The department closely monitors all areas of the Grand Mosque including the mataf (the area surrounding the Kaaba), the mas’a (the area for the sa’i ritual between Safa and Marwah), the Raja Fahd and King Abdullah squares, the sections leading to mataf and mas’a, as well as the top floor and courtyard of the mosque.

The department is also conducting research to remove obstacles blocking the movement of pilgrims, and it is strictly in accordance with preventive protocols so that the chain of spread of the corona virus (Covid-19) does not spread. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)