RIYADH, 7 April — The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah released an official statement announcing the increase of the operational capacity of the Grand Mosque in Meccah while adhering to all preventive measures issued by the authorities.
The ministry said it will grant permits to perform Umrah and prayers in the Grand Mosque and to visit Prophet Mohammad’s mosque starting from Ramadan, but only to persons who received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, or those who received one dose of the vaccine 14 days before the permit, and people who recovered from the infection.
Booking permits to perform Umrah rituals and prayers during Ramadan will be through the (Eatmarna) and (Tawakkalna) apps, according to the statement.
It’s not clear whether these policies would be extended to the annual Hajj pilgrimage later this year, especially after the kingdom saw an increasing rise in COVID-19 infections.
Saudi Arabia has reported more than 393,000 coronavirus infections and over 6,700 deaths from the virus.
The kingdom administered more than 5 million COVID-19 vaccines in the country, with a population of over 34 million.
Sources: SPA/Al Jazeera/Arab News
