Saudi to Announce Countries Which Allowed Sending Umrah Pilgrims

Riyadh, MINA – Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah Muhammad Saleh Benten announced that the Ministry of Health will decide which countries will be allowed to send their pilgrims to perform Umrah.

The minister’s announcement followed an earlier statement by the Interior Ministry saying that the Kingdom would allow foreign Umrah pilgrims to enter the Kingdom in the third stage of the resumption of Umrah services which were suspended gradually from November 1.

Referring to the resumption of Umrah services for domestic pilgrims taking effect from 4 October, the minister said that only 12 groups of pilgrims were allowed to perform Umrah within 24 hours of the first phase.

“The congregation will be divided into groups and each group will be accompanied by health workers at the Grand Mosque. Only pilgrims between the ages of 18 and 65 are allowed in the first stage, ”he said.

Benten said for the issuance of an Umrah permit, there is no fee.

“No Umrah pilgrims are allowed to enter the Grand Mosque in Makkah without completing the entry procedure via the” I’tamarana “mobile application and this is to ensure the health and safety of the congregation,” he said.

He added that alternative arrangements would be made if there were technical obstacles to completing the procedure through the application.

Saudis and expatriates and their families in the Kingdom are allowed to download the Umrah mobile app titled “I’tamarna”, which is effective from Sunday to register their names so they can perform Umrah as well as visit and worship at the Two Holy Mosques.

In just a few hours after the application was launched, as many as 16,000 worshipers had registered.

The app is now available to users of the iOS and Android operating systems on their smartphones seven days before the start of the first phase of the Hajj.

The Ministry of Home Affairs previously announced a gradual resumption of umrah and visits to the Two Holy Mosques with a limited number of pilgrims, starting October 4.

In the first phase, citizens and expats from within the Kingdom will be allowed to perform Umrah at a capacity of 30 percent starting October 4 which means 6,000 worshipers per day and that is in accordance with the health precautions of the Grand Mosque.

The congregation will be allowed to perform the ritual in 12 groups of 500 worshipers each a day.

Registration of data for pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque will be directly linked to the “Tawakkalna” application, the official application launched by the Ministry of Health to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

“This step will consist of a number of procedures, including providing guarantees that pilgrims or visitors are free from the coronavirus,” the Hajj Ministry said.

The application will allow pilgrims to plan their pilgrimage and visit in advance, as well as make optional service reservations to perform their rituals with ease and comfort, in addition to ensuring adherence to health and precautions and preventive protocols, approved by the Ministry of Health and other regulatory authorities, tostem the spread of the coronavirus.

The Ministry of Hajj has developed an application in collaboration with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) to arrange prayer times for those who wish to visit Makkah and Medina to perform Umrah and prayers at the Two Holy Mosques.

Meanwhile, the Ihram clothing shop resumed operations after a long lapse of more than six months in Saudi Arabia before the resumption of part of the umrah pilgrims starting next week. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)