Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat said 10,000 places have been allocated on a daily basis to receive Umrah pilgrims from abroad.
Saudi Arabia will begin receiving Umrah pilgrims from abroad after it has gradually resumed the pilgrimage this month in three phases after it came to a halt over the novel coronavirus pandemic. The third and final stage kicks off on Sunday.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Mashat said the first overseas flight will arrive at King Abdulaziz International Airport from Indonesia on Sunday.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah will oversee the implementation of health measures for all incoming passengers seeking to perform the Hajj ahead of their departure for the holy city of Makkah, he said.
The official said that the extent of the outbreak in each country where the pilgrims come from is assessed, as are the rates of recovery and medical precautions taken by the authorities. The measures must be in line with the guidelines that have been specified in coordination with the Ministry of Health.
The majority of Umrah pilgrims in recent years have come from Indonesia, Pakistan and the Arab Gulf region, stated Mashat.
Pilgrims have been granted the regular 30-day visa, but they must abide by the Umrah program and the specified amount of days they are allowed to remain at the holy sites, which is usually no more than 10 days and covers Makkah and Madinah city, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
On the authorities’ preparations, he said everything is ready in all regions.
Hotels have been prepared to impose the three-day isolation of pilgrims before they begin the Umrah, he said. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has dedicated an office that will work around the clock to receive the pilgrims from abroad.
The pilgrims will be transported from King Abdulaziz International Airport on dedicated buses. They will be taken to hotels in Makkah where ten percent of the rooms have been allotted to keep the pilgrims in isolation.
At the end of the three days, the pilgrims will be taken in batches of 3,300, including 1,666 foreign pilgrims, to the Grand Mosque where they will have three hours to perform the rituals.
