Saudi Arabia Opens Umrah Pilgrimage to Vaccinated Worshipers From Abroad

Muslims, keeping a safe social distance, pray as they perform Umrah at the Grand Mosque after Saudi authorities ease the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, November 1, 2020. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
Muslims, keeping a safe social distance, pray as they perform Umrah at the Grand Mosque after Saudi authorities ease the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, November 1, 2020. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
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Saudi Arabia Opens Umrah Pilgrimage to Vaccinated Worshipers From Abroad

Muslims, keeping a safe social distance, pray as they perform Umrah at the Grand Mosque after Saudi authorities ease the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, November 1, 2020. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS
Muslims, keeping a safe social distance, pray as they perform Umrah at the Grand Mosque after Saudi authorities ease the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, November 1, 2020. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS

Saudi Arabia will gradually begin receiving Umrah pilgrimage requests from abroad for vaccinated pilgrims starting Aug. 9 after about a year and a half of not receiving overseas worshippers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, state news agency (SPA) reported early on Sunday.

With a capacity that would rise to 2 million pilgrims from 60,000 pilgrims per month, Makkah and Medina will start welcoming visitors from abroad to their mosques while maintaining COVID-19 precautionary measures.

An official in the Hajj and Umrah Ministry said domestic and overseas pilgrims will have to include authorized COVID-19 vaccination certificates along with their Umrah request.

Vaccinated pilgrims from countries that Saudi Arabia includes on its entry-ban list will have to be institutionally quarantined upon arrival, the report added.

Umrah, a pilgrimage to Islam's two holiest sites that is undertaken at any time of the year, was reopened in October for domestic worshippers after it was totally upon the outbreak of the pandemic.

Islam's holiest sites' home for the second year in a row had hosted a limited-numbered, domestic Haj pilgrimage in July.



Rubio Thanks Saudi Crown Prince for Hosting US Talks with Russia

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on, as he visits Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 17, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on, as he visits Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 17, 2025. (Reuters)
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Rubio Thanks Saudi Crown Prince for Hosting US Talks with Russia

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on, as he visits Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 17, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on, as he visits Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 17, 2025. (Reuters)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington had taken an important step forward towards establishing “enduring peace between Russia and Ukraine”.

In a post on the X platform, he added: “We are using our global strength to unite countries. The United States wants peace. We want the killing to stop.”

He also expressed his gratitude to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for hosting landmark talks earlier on Tuesday between the US and Russia aimed at restoring relations and ending the Ukraine war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who also attended the talks, described them as “useful”.

Russian and American delegations listened to and heard each other and agreed to create conditions to fully restore cooperation between the two countries, he said.