Saudi Arabia: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has reported that 10 million pilgrims have performed safe and successful Umrah since the Kingdom opened its gates for pilgrimages in October 2020. Following the ‘Safe Umrah’ model, the ministry added that they are seeking coordination with the authorities to enable at least 3.5 million pilgrims a month to perform Umrah.
The current capacity is 70,000 a day for Umrah pilgrimage. The authorities are developing strategic plans to increase the number while ensuring the safety of the pilgrims. In the first milestone, the plan is to reach 120,000 pilgrims a day. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has also started receiving applications from vaccinated pilgrims from around the globe since August 9, 2021.
The phase of ‘Safe Umrah’ started on October 4, 2020. According to the reports, the capacity of pilgrims then was 6,000 a day in the Grand Mosque. On October 18, they increased the count of pilgrims to 10,000 and worshippers to 40,000 a day. With the increasing count of COVID-19 vaccination in Saudi Arabia and other countries of the world, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is making efforts to return to normalcy. A visa issued by the authorities of the Kingdom covers worshipping in the Prophet Mohammad Mosque in Madinah, Grand Mosque in Makkah, and Al Rawda Al Sharifa in Madinah.
What is ‘Safe Umrah’?
Coronavirus is known to have a drastically increased rate of spreading during mass gathering. As more and more pilgrims perform Safe Umrah in the coming months, it is crucial for the authorities and pilgrims to follow safety measures during their travel. In compliance with safety authorities, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah introduced the ‘Safe Umrah Model’ to prevent the spread of coronavirus when pilgrims gather in a mass. Keen on offering quality yet safe services, the ministry accepted applications of pilgrims and offered them precautions in terms of transportation, gathering in the holy mosques, and accommodation.
The Umrah pilgrims coming through the Gulf Cooperation Council have to register their COVID-19 vaccination status. The registration has to be done at the Muqeem portal, and that must happen 72 hours prior to their entry into Saudi Arabia. Assistant Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Eng. Hisham Saeed said that pilgrims aspiring to perform Umrah must download the Tawakkalna application on their mobile phones and book an appointment to obtain permits to perform the pilgrimage. The intending pilgrim can choose the timing to visit the Grand Mosque, Rawda Shareef, and Prophet Muhammad Mosque, he added.
Guidelines for pilgrims preforming Safe Umrah
According to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah guidelines, every overseas pilgrim must present an authorized certification for inoculation of COVID-19 vaccination. They must also present their Umrah request with the certificate. Vaccination is mandatory for every intending pilgrim to enter the Kingdom, use public transport, pray at mosques, and visit institutions. Pilgrims wishing to enter the holy mosques, Al-Masjid Al-Haram and Masjid al-Nabawi, must follow the COVID-19 protocols set up by the Ministry.
According to the latest report of the World Health Organisation, Saudi Arabia has confirmed 546,735 cases of coronavirus, and 8,679 have been dead. The country has administered 41.325,560 vaccines to its citizens. The guidelines are to be reframed and updated from time to time as new strains of the virus are posing great threat. Hence, the authorities request the pilgrims to keep themselves updated with the latest guidelines. Further, support lines have been established to resolve the queries of any individual who wants to understand the guidelines and perform the pilgrimage.
