AMN /Riyadh
Saudi Arabia has decided to gradually resume the ‘Umrah’ pilgrimage from October 4, seven months after it was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In the first stage, “6,000 citizens and residents within the kingdom will be allowed to perform the umrah per day from October 4”, the ministry said in a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency.
Visitors from outside the kingdom will be permitted from November 1, when umrah’s capacity will be raised to 20,000 pilgrims per day, the ministry said.
The umrah, which refers to the Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah that can be undertaken at any time of year, attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year.
The ministry said umrah would be allowed to resume at full capacity once the threat of the pandemic is eliminated.
Saudi Arabia suspended the umrah in March and scaled back the annual hajj over fears that the coronavirus could spread to Islam’s holiest cities.
The pilgrimages are a massive logistical challenge, with colossal crowds cramming into relatively small holy sites, making them vulnerable to contagion.
Saudi Arabia’s custodianship of Makkah and Medina — Islam’s two holiest sites — is seen as the kingdom’s most powerful source of political legitimacy.
The holy sites, which draw millions of pilgrims every year, are a key revenue earner for Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia records 30 more deaths from COVID-19
Meanwhile Saudi Arabia announced 30 more deaths from the coronavirus and 498 new cases of the disease on Thursday.
Of the new cases, 53 were recorded in Jeddah, 50 in Hufof, 46 in Makkah, 38 in Dammam, 36 in Riyadh and 22 in Madinah.
The total number of recoveries in the Kingdom increased to 314,793 after 1,007 more patients recovered from the virus.
A total of 4,599 people have succumbed to the virus in the Kingdom so far.