Saudi Arabia on Sunday announced the resumption of Umrah service for pilgrims worldwide from 1st Muharram 1443 (August 10, 2021), following a successful Hajj season.
Umrah was suspended in the first week of Dhul Hijjah to make preparation and to complete the sanitisation of holy sites ahead of this year’s Hajj which began on July 17.
Beginning from July 25, Umrah agencies have been authorised to issue Visas for Umrah for entry beginning from 1st Muharram 1443 (10 August 2021).
Umrah is a voluntary pilgrimage that Muslims can perform at any time of the year. In February of 2020, it was suspended due to concerns about the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.
However, later, in October 2020, the Saudi authorities reopened the Islamic holy sites for Umrah after a six-month hiatus. It was limited to Saudis and foreigners residing in the kingdom who were allowed to perform rituals in the Grand Mosque with a capacity of 30 per cent, ie only 6,000 people per day.
This year’s Hajj was restricted to 60,000 and limited to people living in Saudi Arabia because of the pandemic.
Saudi authorities announced a “successful” end to the annual pilgrimage, citing no cases of Covid-19 being recorded. Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus even praised Saudi Arabia for the measures taken by the kingdom to ensure the safety of the pilgrims.
The WHO chief tweeted, “As the faithful gather to perform #Hajj this year, we welcome the public health planning and steps #SaudiArabia has taken to ensure the safety of pilgrims and their communities during the #COVID19 pandemic.”
As the faithful gather to perform #Hajj this year, we welcome the public health planning and steps #SaudiArabia has taken to ensure the safety of pilgrims and their communities during the #COVID19 pandemic.— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) July 18, 2021
