Sun 27 January 2022:
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah stated on Friday that children under the age of seven would now be allowed to access the Two Holy Mosques if they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Ministry suggested that anyone seeking to conduct Umrah within Saudi Arabia must first receive a permit from the “Tawakkalna” or “Eatmarna” apps.
On the applications, their health status must be “immune,” and their data must be updated via the “Absher” system.
The decision comes as the Kingdom continues to vaccinate children aged five to eleven.
#الحج_والعمرة:
السماح للأطفال من عمر 7 أعوام وما فوق بدخول الحرمين الشريفين مع اشتراط ظهور حالة محصن في تطبيق #توكلنا pic.twitter.com/EYtM4GFq3O— إمارة منطقة مكة المكرمة (@makkahregion) February 25, 2022
Rules for Umrah pilgrims
The Ministry also outlined the rules for attending Umrah amid COVID-19 at the beginning of February.
All Umrah pilgrims arriving in Saudi Arabia will need to present a negative antigen or PCR test result received within 48 hours of their time of departure. This is a mandatory requirement regardless of their “immune” status.
According to Siasat the ministry stressed that permits for recurrent Umrah will be issued once every 10 days. When asked whether this arrangement will continue during Ramzan, the ministry clarified that any updates will be announced in due course.
The ministry said it had issued more than 29.4 million permits to enter the Grand Mosque over the last seven months. More than 3.7 million permits were granted to worshippers for access to the Prophet’s Mosque during the same period, Arab News reported.
Saudi Arabia cancels Umrah host visa
The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced on Tuesday, the cancellation of the “Umrah Host” visa that allowed foreign residents and Saudi citizens to host Muslims from outside the kingdom to perform the lesser pilgrimage., the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The ministry’s announcement of visa cancelation came in response to people’s inquiries in this regard.
The ‘Umrah Host Visa’ was a scheme that allowed foreigners with iqamah in Saudi Arabia to bring close relatives as guests at Umrah at their own risk. Foreigners were allowed to bring three to five close relatives to Umrah. Such visitors will not have an Umrah service agent in Saudi Arabia like other Umrah pilgrims.
They will be fully responsible for the host with iqama in Saudi. They will be allowed to stay and travel with the host. In addition, it was possible to bring foreigners who were not related to the natives to Umrah. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced that the project has been canceled. The ministry said it would notify the official channels if there was any change in the decision.
Umrah and Hajj have been affected since the pandemic’s onset, with the Kingdom limiting Hajj pilgrims to just 60,000 residents and nationals last year.
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